The Song of Silence
by Gmann
Summary: Jaune Arc was a man made of self-sacrifice. Even after his protecting nature cost Jaune the ability to hear, his dream of being the strong Hunter from the stories wouldn't end. Neo was a woman made of self-serving. Despite being a criminal for hire, her loyalties only consisted of Numero Uno. Jaune would learn to be a little sour and Neo would learn the ways of sweet. On Hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Arrival in Vale

Beta: Shad0wReaper133

* * *

Jaune had never understood why he got airsick while riding in Bullheads. No one else in his family ever got sick while riding the dust powered machines. Even after his aura had been unlocked, it had only let up slightly.

The young Hunter-in-training even looked up the condition, multiple times with multiple sources and they said the same thing. Motion sickness comes from a movement that is seen but not felt, a motion that is felt but not seen, and when motion is felt and seen but doesn't line up properly. Armed with this knowledge he had tried different window seats, different seating positions, jogging in place, and sleeping. Like most things, it all proved to be a fruitless effort. So he simply did what he always had done for years, sat still and hummed until it was over. It was a long trip.

A few of the passengers had looked at him with wary gazes and gave his seat a wide berth. They had good reason to be nervous. He had been subconsciously gripping Crocea Mors handle until his knuckles turned white, which probably didn't inspire confidence in his mental state. It wasn't like he was angry or anything, his nerves were just frayed at the ends. Not only was he currently headed to a city he'd never been to before, but it also was without the comforting support of his family. More than that, it was the first time he had been without the presence of his youngest sister Hazel, his best friend.

Looking out the window again, he finally saw the buildings coming into view. The city was large; it was much larger than what he'd been expecting. Something bigger and significantly more important caught his eye. Beacon Tower, a shining symbol of power, strength, and most of all, hope. It was also the place that Jaune believed would ultimately be good for him. Despite training with his father since twelve, since the accident, he still knew that he was at a disadvantage. In spite of pushing himself three times as hard as the normal Hunter would, being deaf still most likely put him at the bottom of the barrel. Heck, it had taken a resume with five total solo missions to even make the school consider allowing him to take the entrance exam. There was no doubt that Ozpin would make sure to scrutinize him heavily. Good thing Jaune didn't dedicate his childhood to training and left home to just give up so. None of his sisters, especially Hazel, would forgive him if he failed because of getting discouraged half way through.

His trepidation filled thoughts were interrupted when he sensed someone take the seat next to him. It wasn't a semblance or even necessarily special skill. Jaune had just nationally developed a sensitivity to movement around him. He could amplify that sensitivity if he was actively spreading out his aura so as to predict attacks coming from behind, but that took focus. He wasn't currently in Grimm territory, far from it, so he hadn't been using the technique taught to him by his father.

Turning his head, he came face to face with a very adorable, excited looking girl. She seemed to have a red and black color scheme, even her hair was black and slowly reddened at the edges. She had a short, red and black combat skirt (yes he knew the difference after living with seven sisters), a black corset, and most obvious of all, a shockingly red cloak. She kind of reminded him of Hazel, if only because of her height, which immediately put him at ease. The girl was looking at him expectantly as if waiting for a response. It was a clear sign he had missed her speaking.

"I'm sorry, did you say something," he asked, articulating each word with labored practice. Being deaf meant he couldn't actually hear the words leave his mouth. However, he still had still wanted to be able to speak after the accident, so Jaune practiced at it just as hard as he did training to be a Hunter.

"I said, are you here to go to Beacon Academy? I saw your sword and I had to know! Also, your weapon is so cool! Ugh, I wish I could go to Beacon, but I'm still too young and-"

It was around that time Jaune could no longer keep up with the girl's lips, so he lifted his hand to stop her from talking. Thankfully she paused mid-sentence and allowed him to catch his thoughts. Reading lips was pretty easy after a while, but some people just were nearly impossible to follow. He could tell she would be one of those people.

"To answer your first question, yes I am here so that I can go to Beacon. I'm feeling a little nervous actually at the thought. Also, thank you, but this old thing isn't anything impressive," Jaune laughed out. He lifted Crocea Mors and gave it to the girl to hold. The way she marveled at his Great-Great Grandfathers weapon reminded him of when he had looked at the weapon as a child.

"The sheath turns into a shield as well," explained Jaune, taking the weapon back so he could demonstrate. If it was even possible, she got more excited. Of course, he couldn't know for sure, but Jaune was pretty sure she squealed. Looking around at the expressions of the other passengers, he could tell they defiantly were the center of attention.

"You see, I have Crescent Rose," said the little girl, pulling forth a long barreled looking gun before said device turned into an enormous red scythe. The screams from the other passengers fell on deaf ears, literally.

"She's a beauty," whistled Jaune, meaning it completely. The sniper rounds, the scope, exchangeable dust and bullet rounds, complete mecha-shift action. Truly a good weapon. It nearly dwarfed the girl who was currently holding it.

"Yeah, it is just that-"

Oh, looks like she was talking a mile a minute again. Jaune was once again forced to raise his hands so as to stop her from talking. It looks like he would have to let her know.

"Hey…I actually don't have your name."

Her eyes widened considerably and a slight blush of embarrassment seemed to cross her cheeks. "Sorry, my sister is always telling me that I need to introduce myself before talking about weapons. My name is Ruby Rose."

Ruby reached out a hand, one that he shook firmly as if to cement the moment. "It's good to meet you Ruby, my name is Jaune Arc. I'm also completely deaf, so could you talk a little slower? I have a hard time reading lips when someone is talking quickly."

The complex mix of emotions that danced across her face was nearly comical. Now Jaune was nearly as socially awkward as this girl was, but he could still tell she had been thrown for a major loop. Ruby put the scythe away and looked at him closer. He could tell Ruby finally noticed the two scars on each side of his head where hair didn't grow as thick.

"Oh, wow. You are really good at…" She trailed off, not finishing the thought.

 _Am I good at pretending?_

A tense silence fell over the two, mostly stemming from Ruby not knowing where to go from here. "Hey, I was having fun talking to you. I hope me being deaf didn't ruin it."

She perked up at this. "W-What! No, no, no, no, no!" The scythe wielder raised her hands while shaking her head back and forth. She looked down at her skirt and began fiddling with the ends of her combat attire. She looked up and talked slowly so that he could understand. "It's just that…you must be really strong if you're able to be a Hunter while also being deaf."

Jaune looked out the window again, just in time to see that the Bullhead was landing at the docks nears the outskirts of Vale. _I hope everyone else thinks the same way._

"Thanks for saying that Ruby. You don't know how much that means to me."

Before the small girl could respond, the intercom called out telling everyone to that they had arrived at their destination. Jaune stood up and began collecting his things from the top shelves of the Bullhead storage. He slung a green duffel bag over his right shoulder, put Crocea Mors on his belt, and slung his guitar case over his the unoccupied left shoulder. Then he turned back around to face his new friend again. She was looking at him funny, a cocked head and raised an eyebrow.

"You play guitar?"

Jaune smiled. "Yea. You want to hear me play?"

Now Jaune wasn't a fool. He knew she was defiantly curious as to how a deaf man would even play guitar well, but pretending like it was a normal occurrence was more fun. Despite just meeting Ruby, he could already tell she would be fun to tease.

"Hey Rubes, it's time to go."

Jaune was only able to catch the exchange because the buxom blonde bombshell had walked into his direct line of sight before speaking. Iliac eyes seemed to scan his entire body. It made him feel…dirty. Jaune guessed this to be Ruby's sister, being able to overlook the clear difference in appearance and personality. She had the same look he and his dad gave when a prospective suitor wanted to speak with one of his sisters. He even recalled making one boy run away screaming when they had tried to flirt with Hazel.

Ruby turned to the girl and presumably began telling her about Jaune, considering she kept pointing at him. He didn't know what was said, but the girl he presumed to be Ruby's sister gave him a smile. She reached out a hand, one that he shook reflexively.

"Hello, my name is Yang. Am I talking too fast?"

"Hey, my name's Jaune Arc and no, that is an okay speed."

When the final call goes over the intercom and the small group of three quickly make their way off the Bullhead and tarmac. Once outside the docks and into the city, their conversation started up again.

"So, you are going to Beacon next week as well, huh? You must be pretty strong then. How about a little warm up spar before the entrance exam?"

Jaune quickly measured up Yang in his mind, trying guess if he could possibly best her in a fight. She didn't seem to have a weapon with her, but those wristlets looked like they could be mecha-shift as well. Gauntlets perhaps. If that was the case then she was most likely a martial artist or brawler. More than that, she was probably very quick and _very_ good at getting inside of an opponent's guard. That would be detrimental to someone like him who relied on the ability to keep the enemy at bay with range. Then there was also the issue of if she had an overpowered semblance.

"I think I'll pass Yang. On the off chance you kick my ass, I don't want to already be known as a loser in Beacon. Plus I need to find a hotel to stay in until Beacon starts anyway and I'd like to get that done sooner rather than later."

Yang pouted a little, seemingly disappointed that she wouldn't be able to blow off some steam. She was strong. Powerful to the point she wasn't even scared of injury. Jaune would be the first to say that confidence didn't mean jack shit about actual ability, but when a Hunter was confident…well they most likely had a reason. A tug on his ashen gray hoodie made Jaune look down at Ruby.

"Jaune, what school did you go to? I'm currently going to Signal."

The blonde was happy Ruby had remembered that he had to actually see someone talking to be able to respond. It felt like the two girls had already accepted him for the way he was. "I actually didn't go to a school. My father was a Hunter, so just took me on the missions he would go on as training, much to my mom's distress."

Ruby looked shocked, eyes wide in…impressment? Strong hands grabbed his shoulders and shifted his vision so that he was once again eye level with Yang. "You…how many missions did you go on?"

"About 50 I guess, most just being search and destroy missions. My dad did let me solo a few diplomatic missions, though." A lot of those missions realistically he shouldn't have been allowed on, period. On his scariest outing, they were tasked with killing a nest of Nevermores that was terrorizing a town. Talk about a nightmare situation.

Yang's jaw seemed to have lost its ability to close. Looking down to see if Ruby was doing any better or could explain her sister's loss of composure, but alas, she didn't seem to be doing much better. In fact, it looked more like the girl was going to implode in either excitement or constipation. Before he could ask what the matter was, Ruby's small form crashed into him, squealing so loud he could _feel_ the vibration.

He looked down at the cute figure in his arms just in time for her to start speaking again. "I knew you were probably strong, but 50 missions with a Hunter! That's the coolest thing ever!"

Was it? At some point, it had just become like regular bonding time with his father. A completely normal occurrence. Wake up, train, eat, sleep, play with his sisters, train, eat, train, sleep, and repeat. On the chance there was a mission, then he would pack his bare essentials, eat, say goodbye to his sisters and mother, secretly promise Hazel and Lavender he would come home safe, and then leave for maybe a week or more.

Strong arms once again grabbed his shoulders and wrenched up his body so that he was facing Yang again. "Oh, we are _totally_ going to spar once Beacon opens."

"Yay?"

The shadow of a building eclipsed the sunlight, alerting Jaune that sun was setting since buildings don't usually grow. "Hey guys, I really should be looking for a hotel now. I'd like to maybe meet up later though before school starts and continue the conversation."

Both girls nodded and said their goodbyes. Yang pointed him the direction of the non-shady part of town and then departed with her sister. Once they had left his field of vision, he let out a sigh of relief. That had gone well. Really well. The two had not even cared that he couldn't hear and even went so far as to be accommodating. If this was how Beacon would be like, then his previous worries could be forgotten. They even called him strong! What a novel that was.

As he walked down the street, Jaune realized that he needed to make a stop at the nearest Dust shop. He, of course, had brought some with him and his hoodie was weaved with Dust, but it would be good to get some more. He didn't know if there would be much time to buy any in the coming weeks, so it would be good to get that done now. Conveniently, there was a rather large Dust shop near the hotel Yang had recommended. Weighing his options, he decided to visit the store before going to get a room.

He walked into the store and was greeted with a smiling face of the female clerk. She had brown hair tied in a tight bun, a very tan complexion that came out to be a lovely shade of almond brown, with green overalls. She was curvy, a fact Jaune noticed immediately because of how tight the clothing was. Honestly, it nearly made him blush.

"May I help you," she asked, folding her arms under the ample of the large breast. Her face smiled softly, the gentle features melting into a perfect picture. It made the very teenage boy weak in the knees before he caught himself.

"I-I'm here for brown and yellow dust." Jaune flushed a bit at his stutter, but she didn't seem to notice. Instead, she began to leer at him for a moment before speaking again.

"Hmm, it has been awhile since I saw a dust weaver walk into this store. Especially not someone so young. Who taught you?"

"My mother and sisters," replied Jaune, having war flashbacks of many burned fingers and explosions hitting him in the face. The end result had been worth it, however. His ashen gray hoodie had the Arc family crest embroidered on the back in gold thread with different threads traveling away from it and around the entire hoodie, each thread of the embroidering weaved with dust. That also included the shoulder pads and pockets over his heart and stomach. The clerk owner nodded and walked from around the counter towards the back. He followed meekly, walking past isles of different dust vials and crystals. They were all glowing and giving off power, but what really made his eyes widen was the prices.

 _Okay, no gold dust for me._

"Here you are, sir. Sir?" She tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.

Jaune looked back up to see that he was now at the back of the story and was staring at a large machine that seemed to be filled with different types of dust. On the shelf next to the machine was vials of many different sizes.

"Help yourself. If you need any help, I will be at the front desk." She winked and walked away, a lot more pep in the step than needed. It was obvious how this place stayed in business and it wasn't just the dust quality.

"Thank you, madam."

Jaune turned back to the wall and started looking at the prices. He still would need to pay for the hotel for a week, so he wouldn't be able to buy as much as he would have preferred. Still, it should be enough to get him through the first semester. Jaune didn't need to activate the dust weaved in the clothing often, usually only being in a last defense. Hopefully, no close calls would be happening.

"Well, I guess I can buy two small vials now, and maybe take a search and destroy mission for extra money between semesters and breaks. It shouldn't be too hard without Dad."

Jaune began filling a vial with brown dust. While doing so, he decided to flare his aura a bit, watching in amusement as it also began to glow. The feeling really never got old. Something stopped his childish entertainment dead, though, his aura rubbing up against something negative. Letting his consciousness flow strongly along his aura. Doing so, he felt someone coming up behind him. Preparing for a fight, he crushed the vial of dust currently in his right hand and activated his aura, manipulating into a hard earthen sphere around his hand.

A heavy hand rested on Jaune's shoulder and turned him around. He was met with the disgruntled face of a man in red shades, black suit, and red tie. What really caught Jaune's attention, however, was the red katana waving in his face.

"Hey, didn't you hear me talking to you! This is a robbery, put your hands u-"

Jaune, not waiting to hear the end of the monologue, shoved his fist of hardened stone into the thug's face. The impact snapped and shattered his nose before the completely unprepared crony was sent flying down the aisle. His body folded in on itself as it flew through the air and unceremoniously crashed face first through the front window. Overkill?

The dust produced stone on his left hand began to crumble and he shook the loose pebbles off. Jaune didn't know who would try to steal dust, but they walked into the wrong place. He had dealt with goons before and they usually went down just as easily as the one who just went flying through the window. Who he really needed to look out for was the leader.

 _And speak of the devil._

A petite women twirling a parasol came into sight. Her attire is what caught his attention first; she had a unique color scheme of light pink, cream white, and chocolate brown. She looked out the window the well-dressed goon had gone through and pouted cutely, placing a finger on her chin. The second thing that caught Jaune's attention was how short she was, easily as short as Ruby had been and she was currently in heels.

 _Steel tipped heels from the looks of it. Better beware of that. She is most likely quick as well._

The girl who – despite his focus – reminded him of ice cream, turned back to face him. She wore a casual smile, one that spoke volumes about her confidence. Everything in him was screaming to run right now, his aura going crazy with warning bells. This was worse than the time his father had left him to fight a group of Ghast Grimm by himself. It only made it easier to draw Crocea Mors from its sheath. It was simple. If he didn't win this fight, he died. It was a fact that Jonathan had beaten into his skull countless times. What made the young Hunter-in-training pause was when he saw her eyes become mismatched after blinking.

 _A semblance! Damn, is it an illusion type? Am I already under its effect?_

Ah, unanswerable questions, the bane of humans for as long as Remnant has existed. It would do no good to dwell on them now. All he could do was rely on what was around him, and that was a lot of options. He put down his duffle bag and guitar case in a corner, keeping eye contact at all times. Seemed like she would wait for him to make the first move.

With Crocea Mors drawn and his sheath in the other hand, Jaune broke out into a sprint down the aisle. On the way towards the strangely ominous women, he extended his left hand in which the sheath was firmly held and smashed it into a large container of white dust, spraying the substance all over the floor and over him. A second later he closed the gap on the unnamed robber, thrusting forward with an aura enhanced jab. The precise attack missed by a mile, the ice cream colored thief moving quicker than should be possible by leaning away from his blade.

Jaune was repaid in full with a steel tipped heel driving deep into his stomach. The hit should have knocked the wind out of him, it was certainly strong enough. However, he had been able to activate the dust weaved into his hoodie a second before. Instead of striking flesh, her heel collided and shattered a plate of hardened stone Jaune manipulated the dust into in time. Despite this allowing him to virtually take the hit with zero damage, the force still sent him flying back a few feet, a testament to how strong she was. Before hitting the ground, he sheathed his sword and prepared for the next exchange.

When his feet hit the ground they continued to slide, unable to gain any traction with the floor. Jaune capitalized on his misfortune, however, and channeled his aura through his shoes. While sliding he activated the dust he'd scattered on the ground previously, coating the floor with a thin layer of ice. The teen also managed to snag a vial of golden dust and crush it in his hand before his enemy rushed forward, probably looking to end the fight quickly.

 _I'm not as weak as you think._

What happened next was something Jaune would never forget until the day he died. This girl, who he already considered one of the most coordinated fighter he had seen, moved towards him at a speed that would make it impossible to dodge any attack. Her parasol held in a relaxed right handed grip. The single cockiest expression he'd ever seen adorned her face. Victory. It was all she knew. Which made it all the better when, not noticing the invisible second layer on the floor, she put all her weight onto one foot…and slipped.

The expression was worth more than all the dust and lien in Remnant. Pure unadulterated _shock_. Eyes wide, mouth open, disbelieving shock. In that second, in that exact moment where Neo lost footing, it was as if the universe broke. Fear brought Grimm, Salem was a bitch, and Neo doesn't lose footing. There are some things in Remnant that were just ironclad like that. So when the women everyone believed to be gyroscopically balanced trips, you know you've just accomplished more than most would in a lifetime. It would go down in history as The Day Neo Slipped.

Jaune, not realizing the achievement he just unlocked, attempted to capitalize on his strategy. She was still far too slippery to attempt to strike outright, even unbalanced. So in the split second decision, he used the golden dust in his fist to make an elemental electric attack and slammed it into the ground. The desired reaction was achieved when the heat from the lightning reacted with the ice coating the floor to make a cloud of dense steam.

The aisle was thrown into a veil of darkness, one that didn't phase Jaune in the least. Gripping the handle of his sword, and locking on to his enemy's presence, the Arc swordsman prepared to go on the offensive.

/-/

Neo dug her heel through the ice and gained enough traction to push backward and out of range. That had been the first time in a _long_ time anyone ever took her by surprise in such a manner. She would make sure to it didn't happen again. She'd _castrate_ him for this.

The skilled combatant looked back up just in time for a cloud of steam to engulf her in darkness. Neo quickly took a crouched stance in preparation for any attack coming from the darkness. True to form a destructive beam of energy cut through the steam, ripping up titles and tearing the ceiling apart on its way to cleave her in half. Naturally, it was avoided with reflective ease. In fact, it was a simple matter of side stepping. It did warn her to be careful of the boy's sword since he was apparently strong enough to send his cuts traveling over a distance.

Preternatural grace kicking in, Neo brought her parasol up to block a powerful one-handed strike that came out of the mist that was still making her vision a bit challenging. It seemed the teenager wanted to test his luck in direct combat. Bad choice.

She feinted around a jab, ducked under a horizontal slash that cut a shelf in half, and slid under a quick but shockingly ineffective round house. On her way back up, she jammed her heel into the boy's ankle, feeling satisfaction at the low groan of pain that passed his lips. To give credit where credit was due, he didn't falter in his step because of the pain.

This however only caused Neo to grin wider. Oh, she would enjoy destroying every single defense this child had until he was a broken mess on the floor. The tough ones were the most fun see break down. Just thinking about his chiseled face marred, his blond hair bloodied, his hoodie torn to shreds…it nearly made Neo wet with pleasure.

With the cocky grin now revived at full force, she activated her semblance.

/-/

Jaune was beginning to get his ass handed to him on a silver platter. Confronting her head on was a mistake, Jaune knew that before he even did it. However, he had one trick left and it involved getting close. Easier said than done.

The blond knight deflected a jab from the parasol with the tip of his blade and stepped into the women's guard quickly. With practiced fluidity Jaune struck out, Crocea Mors hitting home and striking the girl in the chest. It was a move he had practiced for years with his father and it seemed to finally pay off. Which is why it was all the more demoralizing and terrifying when the image of her shattered upon impact. Realizing too late that the image that had been in front of him and her aura presence hadn't been synced, hope evaporated from his spirit. He had relied on his vision to heavily and now all there was to do was focus his aura and take the hits.

The girl from behind kicked him in the back of the right knee. His aura prevented the knee bone from shattering on impact, but it was a critical hit seeing that she had used aura in the strike. As much as Jaune wanted to stay on his feet after the hit, his leg caved under his weight, causing him to fall to one knee. The swordsman focused his aura on his other knee a second before it to also was struck with a steel tipped heel. This time a he could feel a pop go off in his bone and like a hat, he dropped to his knees.

To finish off the sequence, she flipped over his body, clamped his head between her boots, winked at him upside down in a flirty way, and then _launched_ him head first through the ceiling and into the outside air. Then coming down as quick as he went up, Jaune went crashing onto the roof and bounced off the siding, falling thirty feet to the hard pavement. Upon landing, his left shoulder shifted oddly and he felt the limb dislocate.

 _Well, there goes the aura._

Jaune attempted to move but found that his body didn't seem to be responding. The various cuts and bruises across his face were not healing at all, just another effect of being depleted of aura. It also seemed like his leg bone was cracked. Aura would heal this up once it returned, but there was the matter at hand. Jaune had no way of detecting the female thief without his aura active, so he merely waited. It didn't take long.

Mismatched eyes stared down at him in amusement. She drew her parasol and aimed the end towards his left eye. Looking down the hole, it seemed a blade was housed inside handle and would spring out upon activation. It would be neat if it wasn't the thing about to blind him.

 _So this is how I die, at the hands of an ice cream cosplaying thief. Not how I thought it would go down, but hey, at least I put up a good fight._ _Goodbye Lavender, Azul, Ginger…_

The blonde's inner monologue was interrupted when he noticed that the women and the umbrella were gone. That didn't make any sense. Surely she didn't have a change of heart? It was then something hit Jaune's nostrils. Despite recognizing the scent, he discredited the thought. Who would be drinking coffee in the middle of town at night?

"Having a good evening Mr. Arc?"

The face that had just invaded his field of vision was distinctly familiar. He had even met this man once before. It was one of the most recognizable faces in all of Vale.

"O-Ozpin?"

"I'm glad to see you have not forgotten my face Mr. Arc or maybe my reputation proceeds me. Either way works."

How anyone one could be so damn cheeky with a neutral expression was a mystery that Jaune would never get an answer to. The only logic being that it was simply just Ozpin. Complete weirdo Ozpin who apparently walked the streets at night with a mug of coffee that was strikingly full. It wouldn't surprise Jaune in the least if it turned out that Ozpin drank his coffee through the ceramic and into his skin.

"Do you think you could call an ambulance?" Asked Jaune, even if it came out more like a plea. Ozpin continued to look down on him and made no move to call anyone with his scroll. Face continuing to be impassive. Was this some kind of sick joke?

"Mr. Arc, how do you think I found you?"

"I'm not sure Ozpin. Do you have a semblance that allows you to be the ultimate stalker?"

The slightest resemblance of a smile came and went across Ozpin's face in less than a second. "While that would be appropriate for a headmaster such as myself, in reality, I merely followed the sirens and police Bullheads. Take a look around you Mr. Arc. I promise not to speak until you face me again."

Giving in, Jaune turned his head to the side and saw the dust shop clerk talking to some members of the Vale police force. Near the police were EMS workers attending to the random goon he'd checked out the window earlier.

 _Come help me you fools! I'm the good guy._

As if they read his thoughts, a few EMS workers began rushing over to his position with a stretcher. Gently he was hoisted from the ground and laid on a stretcher. They were about to take him towards the ambulance Bullhead, but Ozpin raised a hand to stop them. The Headmaster waited until Jaune had turned back to face him before speaking.

"Seeing that you did not sense the Vale City Police or the EMS I will assume you are out of aura?"

"Hit the nail on the head."

"I see. How long does it usually take you replenish it?" Asked Ozpin, pulling out a scroll from his jacket.

"Just a goodnight's rest and that usually does the trick. I've been through worse than this anyway."

 _Seriously, though, this really doesn't seem worth it. Its times like this I-_

The busty store clerk appeared in Jaune's line of sight. She looked down on him, inevitably pressing her breast into his side.

 _Its times like this I remember it is all in the days work._

"I want to thank you, sir. Without you being here, who knows how much dust I would have lost? There was no way I could have held off that little demon like you did. Plus with all the insurance I have and all of the destruction you caused, I'll be able to remodel the entire store. Is there any way I can repay you?"

"It's what we do madam. No need for repayment." Still, a reward was always welcomed.

"Well, I know a way. Come back to my store whenever you need dust and I can promise a significant discount."

"Well, if you insist," replied Jaune, pretending as if his wallet wasn't screaming for joy. The store clerk leaned down and kissed the boy directly on the lips, winked, and then sauntered off. The moment would have been pure magic if Ozpin hadn't literally been watching the whole thing, sipping coffee like a creeper.

"Well as much as I would like to stay and watch what other adventures unfold for you Mr. Arc, it seems my presence is needed elsewhere. A little Hunter-in-training much like yourself seems to have gotten into a bit of mischief. I've also taken the liberty of paying for your week at the hotel of the road out of my personal account."

"Thank you, headmaster."

Ozpin nodded and began walking away. The master Huntsman may have been a cryptic bastard at times, but had his good moments. Thinking about it now, if Ozpin hadn't required him to have the experience he did to get in Beacon, Jaune might not have survived the encounter just a few moments ago. The feeling of his shoulder mending back into place alerted Jaune that his aura was back. Focusing his mind, the blond knight focused all his aura in his left knee. After it clicked back into proper place, he did the same for his right knee. The technique of channeling aura only in the places it needed to be in was one he learned quickly. The first mission he ever went on with his father left him with a broken leg and arm. Seeing that taking him home in that condition would mean certain death for Jonathan Arc, his father spent two extra days teaching him how to do it. June Arc – mother and part-time she-demon – was never the wiser.

Feeling a bit stiff but otherwise fine, he sat up on the stretcher. His aura was still around zero, especially after all that healing, but it wasn't like he would be fighting again today. There was still some pain in his knees and shoulder – there wasn't enough aura in the tank to heal the extensive injuries completely – but at least he'd be mobile. Jaune swung his legs over the stretcher and touched solid earth once again. He was about to head in to get the stuff he left in the dust store, but it seemed the good people at the VCPD were already on it.

"These are yours right?" The police officer holding his guitar and duffle bag held the stuff out towards him, Jaune nodded and took the items off the man.

"Thank you, officer. Do you need me to file a report?"

"No, we got all the information need from the store clerk. Go get some rest kid."

That would be nice if it wasn't for Jaune missing his two most vital pieces of equipment. It wasn't like he could leave without getting Crocea Mors. It probably wasn't in the store, since the police probably would have also brought it. So that would mean…

Jaune looked at the roof of the building and to no one's surprise saw the shining blade sticking out of the wood. His sheath rested a few feet away from his blade, just a few centimeters from the edge of the roof. Of course this couldn't be easy.

"How? Just how?"

/-/

Neo wasn't happy. Everything had been going great up until a few minutes ago. She had a tub of ice cream at Roman's expense. Built a pillow fort out of Roman's expensive couch cushions and satin sheets, and even got in a five-hour nap. A pretty good day.

Then the robbery came.

The tiny tormentor was pacing around the hideout in a blind rage. After arriving home, she had proceeded to destroy the red sofa Roman loved so much and destroy the refrigerator when no ice cream could be found within the useless appliance. She had been made into a fool by a…a boy! A mere Hunter-in-training was able to catch her off guard. Unacceptable.

"Hey, Neo I'm back from the…"

It took Roman three seconds to analyze the situation and it took three more seconds for him to realize it was in his best interest to get the fuck out of there. He shed a single teardrop for his imported Mistral sofa and closed the door. Better to escape with his life than be angry now.

The ice cream devil hadn't even heard him come in and wouldn't have cared either way. She was far beyond the point of rage. Not to mention the shame in having to retreat. Speaking of, what the hell was up with the fucking Headmaster of Beacon showing up? If not for that, she's have killed the cocky teenager and been done with it. Now, however… she would have to settle the score.

* * *

 **A/N: And that is a wrap on the first chapter. Leave any questions or concerns in the comments and have a nice day.**


	2. Little Yellow Dragon Part 1

Chapter 2: Little Yellow Dragon Part 1

Idea Beta: ZeroMGA

* * *

As the first remnants of sunlight appeared over the horizon, Jaune's natural body clock woke him up. It had taken him years and many buckets of cold water to finally develop the habit of waking up with the rise of light. Shifting in the bed, Jaune sat up and reached for his scroll on the nightstand. It was still early, only about six in the morning. The Hunter-in-training could easily survive off a few hours of sleep but tried to get sleep when possible. Seeing that his days of getting up easily to spar and train with his father were over, he would have to find something else to do with the morning hours.

Looking around the rather large hotel room, Jaune activated his aura, watching the comforting glow surround his body. Flexing his muscles, Jaune found there to be no pain or tension. His aura was still only around 70% but that was fine. It wasn't like he would be doing anything strenuous today.

With his scroll in hand, Jaune went down to recent notes and found the description of his fight with the ice cream themed thief. After every fight – no matter how short – Jaune would take notes on what happened and how he could improve next time. If the fight was a lost in his opponents favor, then the blond would write down what they did to defeat him and either use that to improve his own attack or plug up that hole in his defense. Refreshing his memory, it seemed that the woman from last night was able to use his momentum against him for several exchanges. Her flexibility had played a big part as well, allowing her to use the particular fighting style to its fullest effect.

Of course, flexibility like that took years to acquire. Jaune – as per his father's instruction – did actually stretch every day for an hour, so he quite a bit more limber than most would expect him to be. Still, unlike this girl, Jaune would most likely never be on that level of maneuverability. Thinking back, he'd been doing alright during the fight before trying to attack in pure melee. Spacing was definitely the way to go, however, Jaune knew he wouldn't always have that much dust on hand.

The young Knight swung his body around and lets his feet touch the carpet. He grabbed Crocea Mors from the other side of the bed - sleeping next to his sword had become a habit - and walked over to the closet where he hung up his hoodie, Intego. The name had come about when Amber – Jaune's second youngest sister – asked what he would name his hoodie after he finished weaving it. Lavender – Jaune's oldest sister – suggested Intego and the name kind of stuck. Usually, you would only name a weapon, but he considered Intego to be as important a defense as his shield and even a secondary weapon.

Jaune took his hoodie off the hanger and walked back over to the queen-sized bed, grabbing the duffle bag next to the wall as well. Sitting down, he unzipped the bag and pulled out his sewing kit and a large earthenware bowl. Next, he took out multiple vials of different types of dust and a dust powered burner.

Dust Alchemy was the process of making new types of dust out of the main elements. It was at times highly explosive and dangerous. Definitely not something a hotel would want happening inside their establishment. Jaune had become a seasoned pro, however, so the risk was minimum. Not to mention that he was not even going to be using particularly explosive types of dust. Earth and Wind type dust crystals and powder were not particularly explosive, nor hard to manage. Plus he would not be experimenting, simply sewing new patches for his knees. After the fight last night, he felt motivated to get it down quickly.

The temptation to experiment was there, however. The store clerk that Jaune had come to know as Karen was not joking about that discount. He'd been able to buy full crystals of dust, even a particularly expensive type of golden electric type dust. Nothing would have made him happier than to start testing formulas, but that was better left to a safer and less flammable area. For now, he would be doing the long and tedious process of infusing dust into thread.

"The things I do not to die."

Jaune took out a special piece of paper used to grind down dust crystals without cracking them. It looked a lot like sandpaper and even felt like sandpaper, despite the material being made specifically for dust. Using the abrasive material, Jaune began to rub an Ice-type dust crystal up and down until tiny grains of the material began falling into the bowl. Dust crystals held more power because of the bonds not being broken, which was why Jaune was going through the trouble of not cracking the gem. To be more precise in his movements, he began actively using his aura. While doing this, Jaune also inadvertently activated the power within the Ice dust, dropping the temperature in the room considerably.

Looking into the bowl, Jaune saw that he had enough Ice type dust powder for now and placed the crystal to the side. Next, he pulled out a vial of brown Earth type dust and poured the entire container into the bowl.

"Okay, what was the equivalent exchange for this again," asked Jaune to no one in particular, searching his scroll for the formula he'd come up with himself. After refreshing his mind, the blond teen placed the dust powered burner on the ground and turned it to the lowest setting. Jaune placed the bowl on the metal prongs of the burner, suspending it over a small flame. He was about to get the bottled water from his bag to continue the process, but a vibrating from his scroll broke the focus. Taking a glance, he saw that a message had been sent by Lavender, which immediately caused him drop everything and look it over.

 _Hey Jaune, I got your message last night. You need to be careful! I understand that you are strong but you cannot be so reckless. I am glad to hear that you have already made friends. We were all worried about how the others would view you in Vale, so that is a huge load off our minds. Everyone misses you already. I send the love of the family._

 _Lavender_

Jaune smiled fondly at the message, re-reading it over and over. He'd have to reply later when he was done with his Dust Alchemy. Putting down the scroll, he grabbed a bottle of distilled water and measuring cup. Making sure to fill the container half way, Jaune poured the water in the mixture. Finally, to complete the process, he added a very small pinch of gold dust. It was really more there to act as a reactant than anything.

The Hunter-in-training then grabbed his stone pestle from the bag and began grinding slowly into the mortar bowl, channeling his aura through the tool as well. After a few minutes of labored and repetitive movements, the mixture finally began to spark and glow, the sign that the two types of dusted used had finally begun to react and fuse. Making sure to keep his aura channeled through the bowl, Jaune grabbed a large spool of thread and dipped it into the bowl slowly, keeping the reaction stable with the introduction of the new object. If he lost control, the two types of dust would counter react and most likely explode into ice shards. It wouldn't cause him any harm most likely, but it would still be a big waste.

The hard part was mostly done anyway. Now it was just a game of patience. He would have to continuously dip the spool in and out of the mixture until the dust was properly fused with it. This process could take anywhere from one hour to a few. How the first dust weavers figured this out would be a mystery to Jaune forever. It usually wasn't even this complicated, but he was creating an unnatural type of dust and trying to weave at the same time, so the process became much more tedious.

Intego – because it was meant to act as armor – had to be able to protect Jaune from harm when his body wasn't quick enough to do so. Grimm claws had the tendency to cut through metal as if it was butter, however, so it seemed a bit impractical to be weighed down by something that could prove fruitless anyway. Taking the high road instead, Jaune went to his mother for help and asked him to make a piece of clothing that would allow him a more form-fitting and durable piece of protection. In response, she gave him a needle, thread, and dust. Teach a man to fish as they say.

At first, he was only using straight Earth dust without any altercation. However, after a few practice rounds, the boy found that the hardening had a delay of two seconds. Unacceptable. Through experimentation, Jaune saw that the crystallization of Ice dust happened near instantaneously, but was much more fragile. After weeks of test and explosions, much to his sister's amusement, he successfully combined Ice and Earth type dust. The hardening delay was solved and the new type of dust crystallized as it hardened, making the material tougher to penetrate. It held up better than most armors did, even allowing him to block a strike from his father's blade with his arm. Of course, he was still thrown across the yard into a tree, but his arm remained intact.

Now the inside lining of Intego had been by far the most challenging part. He had weaved Fire dust infused thread and Ice dust infused thread together. The idea had been that he could activate the fire type thread when faced with extreme cold or activate the Ice type dust when faced with extreme heat. The results had been _explosive_ on more one occasion until he finally perfected the balance. Fire dust tended to be unstable on its own, and attempting to fuse it with different types of dust took a level of control that even Jaune lacked, so he only used the material in its raw form.

The ends of Intego's sleeves were the only part of the hoodie used for purely offensive purposes. The right sleeve had an Electric/Wind infusion type dust weaved at the end. It was for the purpose of adding an extra kick to a Crocea Mors strike if he was facing an enemy that was particularly hard to put down. However, seeing as electric type dust was _expensive,_ he rarely got to use his lighting charged strike, instead, increasing cutting power by tapping into his Wind type dust. It was also one of the main reasons he was so excited about having a medium sized jar of the stuff thanks to a certain shopkeeper. The left sleeve was just Fire-type dust at the end. That was just in case he had to backhand someone and felt like a adding an extra burn. Or in more desperate times, straight up hurling a fire ball.

The hood part of Intego was purely defensive like most of the hoodie. To make sure he had the most protection on his head as possible, he'd added more Earth/Ice infused dust there than any other spot. Like the other places with extra weaving like his heart, stomach, back, and elbows, the hood was a dull golden color rather than ashen gray.

Altogether, Jaune considered it to be his secondary weapon. He had won many fights thanks to no one suspecting the article of clothing to have multiple functions. It was a pain to keep up sometimes, but worth it at the end of the day. Especially if it meant he got to live another day.

Coming out of thought, Jaune saw that the thread had begun to glow along with the mixture inside the bowl, casting a white glow over the entire room. The dust had been properly infused into the material, finally. Jaune wiped the sweat off his brow, ignoring how cold his hands were. He also ignored the fact they had gone completely numb due to the cold pulsing off the Ice-type dust. Without his aura, the mixture would have frozen solid. He also would have a bad case of frostbite as well.

Jaune grabbed his scroll and checked the time, slightly shocked to find that in his focus nearly two hours had passed. It was already eight in the morning and pushing nine. The blond reached down and turned off the dust powered burner. He took the spool of thread out of the water and placed it into his duffle bag for later. Once infused, the dust stayed within the thread. He would sew the thread into knee patches later tonight, but right now Jaune needed a break.

He put on a pair of black pants his sister Ginger had made. She was the best weaver second to Jaune's mother but added no dust to the pants. He'd asked her to make a pair of slacks that didn't hinder movement while still being durable. She'd delivered with interest. Jaune didn't know how his fifth oldest sister was able to create something that granted the mobility of sweatpants and was durable, but he wasn't complaining. Paying her back with a shopping spree was when the complaining started.

Jaune pulled on his gray lace up boots, pulled a black t-shirt on, and then put on Intego. He then strapped Crocea Mors onto his belt and headed to the door. Seeing that he had not been able to travel Vale yesterday, Jaune was prepared for some sightseeing. A familiar vibration in his pocket interrupted that train of thought, however. Jaune pulled out his scroll to see what was up.

 _It's Yang. Can you meet me outside of Vale Bucks café? It's near Tukson's Book Store three blocks from your hotel._

Seeing the message threw Jaune for a loop. He didn't remember giving Yang his number. Although, thinking back, she did graciously offer to punch in the coordinates of this hotel into his scroll. _Hmm, clever girl._

Sightseeing would have to wait. Despite higher reasoning telling him to do otherwise, Jaune left his hotel room with the intent of meeting a recently acquired acquaintance.

/-/

Yang was had been seated in the café for nearly two hours after she messaged Jaune and he still had not shown up. To be honest, it was a long shot in the first place. He could be asleep, could be angry about her nabbing his scroll ID without permission or any number of things. She honestly didn't know why she was going through with this plan in the first place, but desperation made a girl do stupid things.

 _I don't know who that is…but I know someone who might._

That sentence had stopped Yang cold when Junior had said them. She honestly didn't expect to get an answer out of him, so the lead was well received. Yang didn't even have to destroy his bar. However, the information nearly became useless when she looked up who the lead was. The guy had a criminal record a mile long, and even Yang thought twice about trying to confront him. In fact, she'd given up on it up until yesterday when she met Jaune.

Thing was, she would need back up if she was to visit this guy. More than that, she would need a professional. Despite her number of "friends" being high, none of them held any real skill. Not enough for this anyway. But after meeting Jaune, she knew he would be a perfect candidate.

Yang – contrary to popular belief – was not just good at partying and fighting. The blond was a good judge of character, almost instinctively so. When she had first seen Jaune in the Bullhead headed to Beacon, she didn't see a disgruntled sword wielder like everyone else did, instead, seeing a most likely nervous student in town for Beacon. It was the reason she allowed Ruby to go ask him about his weapon. As she watched the conversation between the two play out, it became clear that Jaune was a very patient person as well. People who could hear usually became annoyed with Ruby after a few minutes. He – someone who had to do three times the work just to communicate – actually seemed to enjoy Ruby's company, even if he had to ask her to slow down a couple of times.

Then there was the matter of his track record. Over 50 missions one-on-one with a Huntsman with most being search and destroy? Soloing five diplomatic missions? That was ridiculously experienced for someone of his age to the point of suspicion. She would have doubted the honesty in his statements if it was not for his delivery of the information. Jaune had said it like it was normal, or like he expected everyone to have similar experiences. That did add a certain amount of credibility to the statements.

He being deaf actually was another selling point. If Ozpin allowed him to attempt initiation, then he clearly had come up with millions of workarounds in combat. It was likely he overachieved to prove that being a Hunter wasn't out of reach. Discernment, strength, and experience. She couldn't have asked for better backup short of actually getting a fully graduated Huntsmen. Now if he would just show up.

"Knock, knock."

Yang looked up from her thoughts to see Jaune sitting adjacent to her at the small window side table. He had on the same hoodie from yesterday and wore the same casual smile from before. His hair looked a tab bit disheveled as if just waking up. The teen kept looking at her expectantly.

"Um, who's there?"

"Arc."

Yang rolled her eyes but continued with the joke. "Arc who?"

"Arc you glad I showed up…" Jaune was attempting to contain a giggle at his horrific joke. It was bad enough to make Yang blush in embarrassment.

"Jaune… that was amazing."

The male blond laughed a little at himself, going a bit red in the ears. "Sorry about that. My father always said the best way to break the ice was a joke. Er, did it work?"

Yang attempted to put on a straight face, but it quickly dissolved into a large grin. "Yeah, it worked. Thanks for coming, by the way, Jaune."

Jaune waved it off as if it was no problem, despite him clearly having gone out of his way. "So, why did you call me down here?"

 _Here comes the hard part._ "I…need your help. What you said about taking on all those missions. You weren't joking or exaggerating?"

"Nope," answered Jaune immediately. "Did you want to hear some of my stories?"

It was a genuinely tempting offer. One that she would take up another day, but right now the matter at hand had to be dealt with. "Maybe another time. I was actually hoping that you could assist me in getting information."

Jaune's blue eyes hardened a little at this and he sat up from his slumped position. "What type of information?"

The change in demeanor took Yang aback for second, making her consider the next words carefully. His experience – whatever it consisted of – had clearly made him cautious. "Information on a certain person…someone I need to find."

Yang's eyes darted down to see that Jaune had started gripping and releasing the handle of his sword. "Tell me, Yang, why ask me to do this. Why not ask Ruby?"

Oh boy, that girl had been a ball of pure energy last night. Yang had put on a happy face and cheered along with her, but in all honesty, she wasn't thrilled that Ruby was going to Beacon two years ahead of time. The thought of ruby taking an unnecessary risk at such a young age scared Yang more than she liked to admit to herself. She'd just have to keep an eye out and trust Ozpin knew what he was doing.

"It would be too dangerous for Ruby. I didn't want to get her involved."

Jaune raised an eyebrow and relaxed his grip on the sword. He didn't reply, leading Yang to assume he hadn't gotten part of her sentence. "Um, I said it would be too dangerous for her." The girl made sure to overly articulate this time so he would understand. It was easy to forget that Jaune was, in fact, deaf. A ploy he probably had worked very hard on.

"I understood you the first time," chuckled out Jaune, looking to the side. "I'm just trying to figure out why you'd trust me to be back up in a clearly dangerous situation."

"Because of your experience Jaune."

The male Hunter-in-training went silent again and seemed to find something really interesting outside to look at. The only sound made was the dull chatter in the background. Yang mused what it must be like to be in nothing but silence all the time. Nothing but the voice in your head for sound. _Wait… why did Jaune have a guitar, though?_

"Are you going to do it whether I agree or not?"

 _Damn…if I say no he will probably refuse. I don't want to lie, though. Then again…_

"Yes," lied Yang.

Jaune looked down and muttered something inaudible under his breath. He looked back up, blue eyes cooling into chips of ice.

"Who are you meeting and where?"

/-/

Jaune couldn't believe he was doing this. To be honest, he barely knew _why_ he was doing this. Yang had been pretty vague about who she wanted to get information on. Simply stating that it was to find a family member. Usually, Jaune would think of it as none of his business, but it kinda had become his business when she scouted him for back up.

 _Whatever I guess._

The blond knight liked Yang already, her sister included. Plus she would be going to Beacon with him as well and it would be nice to already have a good friend when entering just in case he was an outcast. It also wasn't like this would be his first rodeo either. Jaune and his father were once forced ask for a tip from a notorious raider in Mistral. The advice from Jonathan kept them from having to lift a single hand. Simply walking in, paying, and walking out with much-needed information.

 _Remember Jaune, confidence is everything. Appearance is everything. Never let them believe they have the upper hand in terms of strength or mind. Walk in as if you could take on the entire crew and win with a mere thought. Above all else, make them believe a fight isn't worth it…_

That had been one of the scariest missions Jaune ever went on. In comparison, the guy they were supposed to find and meet was not nearly as bad. It was true he had the VCPD on complete lock but still didn't measure up to a seasoned Huntsman in skill. The crime lord in Mistral known as Lion Lucifer had been a monster in Faunas form. A man who could easily keep time with a Beacon Professor and made a habit of eating raw flesh. Yet Jaune and his father left unharmed.

Still, no reason to not take this seriously. The first thing Jaune had told Yang to do was change the outfit. It was imperative that they came off as professional Huntsmen and not kids in training. That had gone as well as it could have, meaning he got an eyeful of Yang complaining that her outfit was not immature in the least. Thank Monty he couldn't hear.

After that finally got sorted, they split up to get changed and meet back up at The Club. "The Club" was one of Vale's hottest spots and happen to have one of Yang's personal contacts as the owner, or at least that was what Yang told him. They wouldn't be going in. This bar merely was located around the barrier of the "good side of town" and "bad side of town." Him and Yang, as soon as she showed up, would be headed to the criminal side of Vale to look for her informant. Once they acquired his location, they would pay, ask the question, then leave.

While it might have seemed a bit ineffective to have to look for the guy instead just asking around, it was necessary. When you asked to find the boss, that person will point you in the right direction while at the same time alerting said boss of your arrival. Therefore, if you could find him/her without them ever being alerted, it gave a certain amount of credibility off the bat. Credibility they would desperately need.

Jaune was currently in the alley behind The Club leaning against the brick wall. Every time someone walked by, he would instinctively reach for Crocea Mors, years of keeping watch for his father coming out in good ol paranoia. Jaune felt someone enter the alley and drew his weapon slowly, preparing to defend himself from whatever criminal may be lurking around. As they came closer, however, he realized the aura rubbing up against his own was fiery and familiar in the most comforting way. Slowly, he sheathed the ancestral blade.

Yang appeared from the darkness a second later, clad in a very Mistral looking outfit. How she had translated "look older" to wearing this Jaune would never know, but it oddly worked really well. She had on a red yukata with a white floral pattern. It went down to her mid-thigh before being cut short and becoming a makeshift miniskirt. Her brown boots had been replaced by white ones that went a bit higher, ending just before the knee. They also seemed to add a bit more height than the other pair. Around her neck was a white silk scarf, on her hands were red gloves, and for eyewear were a pair of aviators. Yang's posture was also straighter and lacked the easy going nature it usually held. All in all, she looked a good three years older.

Jaune felt his scroll vibrate. Taking it out, he saw it was a message from Yang. Apparently, the girl had realized that it would be very difficult to read her lips in the dark. Hmm, very considerate indeed.

 _Nice outfit._

The male blond smiled a little. He actually hadn't changed his outfit all that much, not to the degree Yang did anyway. Seeing that Intego was in fact weaved with dust, he could change the appearance to a certain degree. Right now, the hoodie looked more like a hooded cloak instead. The cloaked form of Intego still protected his vital areas, but now continued down to his knees. He still wore his black pants, but had changed out his gray boots for white ones, that just so happened to match with Yangs. Intego also appeared to be a pure white instead of the usual ashen gray. Jaune had his hood drawn and wore a solid black mask that covered his mouth and nose, leaving only his piercing blue eyes visible.

"You look good as well Yang. Ready to move out?"

She nodded, allowing a small smile to grace her lips. Jaune smiled as well, though it was hidden by his mask. He couldn't help but feel a bit pumped. This would mark his first team up with someone who wasn't his father. Of course, this would just be an information grab, but it was still exciting. Pushing himself off the alley wall, Jaune began following Yang's lead deeper into the slums.

Neither knew how long the night would be.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, more information was given about Jaune's hoodie. The part about Dust Alchemy and weaving was more head canon than anything else. Many other authors have taken their own take on the whole dust thing and I'm no different. Anyway, this chapter was more of a precursor to the next chapter than anything else, with part 2 having all the main action. Leave all the questions and concerns in a Review or PM me.**

 **Till next time.**


	3. Little Yellow Dragon Part 2

Chapter 3: Little Yellow Dragon Part 2

Beta: Shad0wReaper133

* * *

A sleek, luxury-oriented Bullhead cut through the night air on its way to Vale. Following close behind were two combat-ready aircrafts, filled to capacity with Atlesian Knights and soldiers armed to the teeth. The escort was one usually given to those of great political power or financial wealth. In this case, it was both.

Weiss Schnee stared blankly out the window, completely caught up in thought. A world of new experiences awaited her in Vale and more specifically, Beacon. It had only taken one tour of the training faculty at Atlas Academy to convince her that leaving for Beacon was the right choice. Not to mention she hoped to get away from her father's critical eye, which would have been impossible in Atlas, where he had access to General Ironwood – a family friend – and wielded unrivaled power. Not to mention carving out her own path would have also been impossible in Atlas.

 _Honestly, I don't know how Winter was able to put up with four years of what was essentially a military camp._

Weiss loved and respected her sister more than anyone else on Remnant, but that didn't mean her decisions always made sense to the girl. Still, Winter was the model of everything Weiss could hope to become one day. It was the girl's sincerest hope that she could one day stand on equal footing with her success of a sibling. Hopefully, Beacon would help her out in that regard. Winter was a champion, a gem among rocks, and a natural born leader. All things that Weiss had to claw and strive for, whereas Winter did them all with natural grace.

" _Remember sister, no one achieves success on their own."_

That was one of the last things her sister had told her before she boarded the Bullhead for Vale. She didn't really know why Winter had decided to specifically point that out, but it was advice she would cherish nonetheless.

 _A good foundation to any Huntress or Huntsman is having an excellent team behind them. Maybe she was telling me to pick my teammates carefully. As a team leader, it will be my job to put them on the right track after all, so I might as well make it easy on myself._

A large patch of turbulence interrupted her thoughts, jostling Weiss in her cushioned seat. Not even five seconds later, a waiter appeared out of thin air and apologized for the bad weather, as if that was something could be controlled or in any way was the staff's fault. Weiss reassured him that it hadn't bothered her in the least, giving him the peace of mind to leave.

That was another reason to go to Beacon. Yes, she wanted to be treated with respect, but not because of her name. Weiss wanted to _earn_ the right to be respected and praised. Not – like everything else – for it to be handed to her on a silver platter.

With her index finger, Weiss traced the outline of the scar that ran down her left eye. The memory of acquiring it still fresh on her mind.

 _I'm not weak. I'll prove that to everyone._

Her internal monologue was cut short when a tall man walked into her vision and sat down adjacent to her. He had rich dark skin, soft hazel eyes, and thick black hair. The only thing he held was a large double sided axe, the handle being made out of metal with many different revolving chambers for Dust usage.

"How are you holding up Ms. Schnee?"

"I'm fine Sinbad. Thank you."

The hired Hunter smiled a bit. "That's good. Are you a little nervous about going to Beacon so far from home?"

Now this man was beginning to grate on her nerves. She didn't even know him and yet here he was digging into her business. Weiss, however, put on the famous Schnee family smile and prepared to have a nice conversation with this Hunter.

"You know if you don't want to talk that's fine."

Or not. She should have known that the practiced eyes of a Hunter could spot a fake smile. She actually felt a bit embarrassed at having been seen through so easily. Sinbad had just been trying to be friendly after all.

"You know, I went to school at Beacon."

This got Weiss' attention. She turned back around and looked at the smiling man. When she didn't get an immediate follow up, Weiss decided to push the subject. "What was it like, if I may ask?"

The man lifted a hand and scratched the back of his head. "Well, I mostly remember the diversity of everyone there. Boy, were there some characters. My first week was the most challenging of my life."

"What made it so hard?"

Sinbad chuckled. "Well, being from Atlas had made me prejudice to a certain type of people. This being in a time when Faunus rights were still in question. Yet, low and behold I got put with a female wolf and cougar Faunus, the cougar being the leader of my team. I made quite the scene in Ozpin's office."

Weiss nearly choked at the revelation. The thought of being put on a team with one of those animals was almost enough to make her tell the driver to turn around. Before she could entertain that thought, Sinbad continued with the story.

"Old Oz wouldn't budge, though. I was furious with him and angry at my place in the school. Over time, however, I did begin to see that a lot of my racism was unfounded. They were just as human as you or I. They saved my life more times than I can count and vice versa. Then I found out that some of them actually go into heat…and let's just say my eyes really saw the light those weeks. Dear lord, the things that girl could do with her tail."

Weiss mentally blocked out the part where he mentioned sex and instead focused on the other part. "So you don't view them as animals anymore? What about the White Fang?"

Sinbad chuckled a bit. "That's just one group kid. I find that there are more Faunus who disagree with them than there are sympathizers. At least since they turned violent. I'm sure that won't change your mind, especially since your family is specially targeted, but just food for thought."

Slowly nodding, Weiss decided to think about what he had said. Surely if an Atlas born Hunter vouched for them, then it couldn't be that bad. With a slightly new outlook, the heiress looked out the window again and waited to land in Vale.

/-/

Jaune and Yang had been walking on the bad side of Vale's Industrial District for the better part of fifteen minutes in utter silence. For Jaune, this was absolutely fine. He hated talking with a passion and despised lip reading even more. It wasn't something that he readily told people because more than anything he just wanted to be normal. The fact that he had to strain his eyes to the point of activating aura to understand some people was not something that needed to be said. Especially if the people he was talking to didn't mind him being deaf or held a stigma against it. That was enough reason right there to not complain.

Of course, Jaune knew that when he finally got to Beacon and was placed in a team, that this would probably be addressed or there was a real possibility of going insane. Everyone in his household had learned to speak in sign language after the accident and he never did have many friends outside the family, so this problem rarely occurred. On missions where he had to communicate with the people of the town, it was rarely an issue. In most cases, they were just happy to have him there to protect them. Civil disputes were harder, but unlike most would imagine, involved little speaking. When Beacon did start, he would try to become partners with Yang.

Speaking of the blonde currently walking in front of him, Jaune could tell that she enjoyed talking. Not just talking, but social interaction in general. If he could hear, the swordsman had no doubt she'd either be telling a joke, a story, or just normal chit chat. This was better, though. Missions were not the time to talk, or even be social. The wise man sees the danger ahead and avoids it, but one cannot avoid something if they are not paying attention. However, he didn't know the lay of the land like Yang did, so he pulled out his scroll and began typing.

 _Hey, Yang. Can you tell me what to look for? This isn't exactly familiar territory._

The blonde dragon paused and pulled out her scroll. Looking over it, she turned back to him and typed out a message in response.

 _I don't know. You've been on a lot of missions before, what do you usually look for when trying to find someone?_

Jaune quirked an eyebrow under his hood. Guess there was a reason why she called him to help. Of course, trying to find someone in Mistral would be easier than Vale because he actually knew that area. He knew the mark of every raider band of thieves, each individual information broker, who to avoid, how to avoid them, could transverse the Grimm lands without a map, could go unnoticed, and knew all the pubs where the best info was spilled. Sadly, this wasn't Mistral. Worse yet, he wasn't paired with his father.

 _I guess you look around for clues and certain calling cards. You said this was his territory, right? Turn over the right stones and I'm sure we will find some information eventually. For now, let's head deeper into the district._

Yang read over the message before nodding and turning back around. As she began making pace again, Jaune redoubled his efforts to scanning the environment. They were currently walking the alleyways and backstreets that were only lit by the light of the shattered moon. In fact, Jaune didn't think he had seen a single working lamppost. The darkness was fine, however, his eyes having adjusted minutes ago.

In all honesty, it was eerily quiet, to the point of being surreal. Jaune of course, was deaf. But when he spread out his aura, he could usually catch the vibrations of something. Right now, with his aura completely active, everything remained still. It was just odd is all? Seeing how this was a new environment, it wasn't like Jaune had any frame of reference, though.

A buzz in his pocket broke the blond swordsman out of his trance like focus. Pulling it out, he read the message from Yang.

 _Hey, Jaune. Tell me some stories from your missions._

The teen nearly face palmed in that moment. How was he supposed to keep looking for clues and irregularities if he was story telling? He was about to say no, but then he remembered that Yang was in fact, not his father. Looking up, he took note of her body language, which had become nervous. When they had set off, Yang had actually looked like an adult, much due to the fact that her posture and air of maturity spoke confidence. This wasn't completely gone, but a lot of it wasn't present anymore. Talking would probably relax her to some extent. So, breaking his usual mission protocol, Jaune conceded.

"I'll tell you the story about the time me and my father were tasked with hunting a Grimm," spoke Jaune in a low voice. He pulled out his scroll and began typing, not wanting to talk and bring attention to himself by telling the story verbally. Seeing as Jaune's only means of communication had been through the scroll at one point before learning sign language and lip reading, he could easily type without looking down.

 _You were hunting a Grimm? That seems pretty easy._

Jaune smiled. He had thought that too.

 _You're right Yang, it did seem easy at the time. However, it taught me never to become complacent in my victory. By this time, I had already been on at least ten missions and felt invincible. Most Grimm are mindless, meaning that certain takedown techniques work on certain types of Grimm with 99% success rates. After killing a Deathstalker, despite getting help, my father could barely tell me anything._

Jaune stopped typing, his eye catching something familiar. He bent down and looked at the slick alleyway wall, seeing three diagonal marks. It was a symbol he had seen often enough in Mistral to be recognizable. The marking that signified you entered White Fang territory or an area that sympathized with the White Fang. As he reached out and touched the marking, Yang appeared at his side and watched him with quiet curiosity.

"These are White Fang markings Yang," Jaune explained in case she didn't know. If she did, then Jaune hoped he didn't come off as arrogant. "However, it is in chalk for some reason, on a wet wall on less. It probably won't last more than a day."

To prove his point, Jaune rubbed his finger on the marking and it rubbed off with ease. Beside the point that White Fang markings were usually grooved into the surface it was placed on, this wasn't their territory.

"Yang, this is Torchwick's territory, right?"

The girl typed a quick response into her scroll, knowing that it was too dark for Jaune to read lips. _That is what Junior told me. He didn't exactly say much, though. Just who to look for and where his territory is._

Then that didn't make much sense for a White Fang symbol to be here. Not even a permanent one no less, so it was unlikely that this area had been taken over. Jaune decided to note it for later and keep moving. He didn't want to stick around this spot any longer than possible. It could always just be nothing, but Jonathan Arc had made sure to teach his son to overlook nothing in a mission.

"Let's keep moving Yang. I don't want to stick around."

The girl nodded and they stood back up and started moving again. They left the alleyway briskly and continued deeper into the projects of Vale. Looking around, Jaune honestly expected it to be a bit more active around here, maybe even violent, but there had been no such run in yet. Still, they had only been out for an about an hour. There was still plenty of time for someone to foolishly attempt to mug them. Another buzz hit Jaune's scroll.

 _Continue the story._

Oh yeah, he had been in the middle of a tale. Still keeping a close eye on the surroundings, Jaune began typing.

 _Okay then. Well, my father and I got called to a village on the outskirts of Mistral land. It was pretty deep into Grimm infested forest but still managed to stay afloat. There was a particularly strong Hunter who defended the village. However, people began to turn up in bloody pieces or go missing completely. It was definitely the work a Grimm, but the thing just couldn't be found. I mean we found Grimm, a lot in fact, but not the one we were looking for._

Yang replied within three seconds. _How did you know?_

 _Well, the village had high walls made of stone. After the first death, no one left the walls and yet they continued to die. By the time we got there, it had gotten so bad that the whole town was living in the Town Hall, guarded by the Huntsman day and night._

 _The Huntsman refused to leave the Town Hall, lest someone disappear again. So it was our task to go Grimm hunting in the dark forests surrounding the village. After three days of this, the townsfolk decided to try and leave the confines of the Town Hall, many being fed up with living so closely to one another._

Jaune paused a moment, his aura sensing someone nearby. It was faint, meaning the person was probably on the opposite side of the block. It also meant something with the potential of being very frightening. That person had their aura unlocked. Everyone had an aura, so Jaune could sense living beings of all kinds. However, it was a lot easier to sense people with their aura unlocked or people who were very close to him. Seeing how this aura was unfamiliar, this person must have had his aura unlocked to be sensed so far away. Them being on the outer edges of Jaune's range also meant that this person's exact location was hard to pinpoint.

"Yang," whispered Jaune. The girl turned around and gave a questioning look. "These buildings, they're all old warehouses and factories, right? No residential apartments or anything?"

Yang nodded and pulled out her scroll to type a message. _Why? What's up?_

"I sense someone with their aura unlocked. Think it might be one of Torchwick's men?"

 _Could be I guess. I mean who else would be out here?_

"I guess that is what we'll find out. Be ready to fight if it comes to that or if we are spotted." Jaune, above all else, didn't want to be in a fight. Winning without having to draw a blade was really the way to go. Yang on the other hand…

 _Hell yeah, now we're talking._

Right. Jaune began moving briskly down the alleyway, hoping to not lose the aura signature. He briefly had an afterthought of how they would find their way back through the maze of abandoned factories and industrial warehouses. There weren't even street signs in place to hinder them from getting lost. Each alley looked the same as the other. Whatever, they would deal with it when the problem arose.

The person they were following, wasn't moving very fast. In fact, it seemed that this person might be as lost as them. Or at least not familiar with the environment. If that was the case, then how were they navigating the… a glimpse of a marking caught Jaune's eye as they walked through yet another dark corridor. It was high on the wall of the building, almost out of sight. The same White Fang mark he'd seen earlier, which had been equally out of sight.

Still following the aura he'd picked up, Jaune scanned the area until spotting another marking, this one on a piece of piping near the bottom of the wall. Then another. Then another. After the 12th marker, Jaune came to the conclusion that the person they were following was indeed following these markers. But then that brought up the questions, who put them up, who are they for, and why?

So deep in thought, Jaune was taken off guard when Yang grabbed him from behind and pulled him low. An index finger was placed over his lips, the universal sign for "be quiet." Jaune nodded and went back to focusing on his aura, surprised to pick up not one, but two signatures close by now. Jaune turned his head to look at his current partner and watched as her face went from surprise to horror. The people in front must be saying something, but what? The teen would just have to wait until Yang told him.

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Yang was crouched low with Jaune, currently making as little noise as possible. The two people only about 20 meters ahead of them in another section of the alley apparently knew each other and had struck up a conversation. One a man, the other female.

"…Yeah, I couldn't believe it either when they announced it, but I guess it is really happening, huh," asked the female voice. The male chuckled in response.

"You're telling me. I was ready to shove it in Torchwick's face, but the human has some connections. That I'll give him. If we pull this off though…ol' Roman will become White Fang royalty. Still, don't know how I feel about it."

"Him being human doesn't mean shit if results are seen. The Fang would have been happy with a board member from that sinful company, but kidnapping the heiress herself? The entirety of Remnant will hear the triumphant cry of the White Fang. Speaking of, how did he even know where they were going to land?"

The male voice chuckled again. "Contacts in the VPD and even Atlas I hear. There is supposed to be a police escort waiting. As we speak they are probably being ambushed and taken over. When the Schnee Bullhead lands, all they will see are White Fang in VPD uniforms. Hehe, won't even see it coming."

The female began laughing as well. "Oh man, I wish I could be there right now."

"Naw, fuck that. The ground troop is the cannon fodder for the Atlesian Knights. Meanwhile, we will be sitting pretty in the Bullhead for the air assault. How are we going to pull that off anyway, what with ground sensors?"

"That is what we are going to find out. Come on, we should keep moving anyway. I don't know why we had to follow these markers, though. I mean…"

The voices, while still audible, became too far away to make out properly. It didn't really matter. Yang slumped against the alleyway wall and began to try and process what she just heard. A kidnapping. There was going to be a kidnapping of the Schnee heiress, who Yang could not remember the name of at the moment. Worst yet, the person she had been hoping to get information out of, Roman Torchwick, had not only partnered with the White Fang but was spearheading the kidnapping.

No, the information on her mother didn't matter anymore. If there really was a crime of this magnitude about to take place, as a Hunter – albeit still in training – she couldn't possibly turn a blind eye. But, it wasn't like she could stop this alone…

"Yang," exclaimed Jaune, still trying to keep his voice at a whisper. The worry was thick in his voice, it was clear spacing out had unsettled him. Yang pulled out her scroll and began typing out an explanation. It took nearly three minutes to compile it all.

Jaune was a fast reader and could type very fast. Just by interacting with him the night she could tell. So it was abundantly clear that Jaune was re-reading, multiple times actually. Finally, he set his scroll down and sighed, unconsciously reaching for the hilt of his sword.

"I don't like this Yang. Maybe we should call the police," Jaune muttered, clearly not feeling up to taking on a kidnapping threat that was being carried out by a terrorist organization.

Yang grabbed Jaune by the shoulders and shook him before bringing her face near inches from his face so that he would be able to read her lips in the low light. "The reason Roman knows where she will be is because of the police in the first place! They can't be relied on!"

She let go of Jaune's collar and let him fall back against the alleyway wall. The dazed look in his eyes made Yang feel a bit guilty at her outburst. Jaune had been nothing but nice to her and that was no way to show gratitude. It wasn't like he wasn't correct to be afraid either, seeing as this was a lot more than he signed up for. Still, they couldn't just do nothing.

Jaune looked back up with a glint of mirth in his eye. "Will you go whether I do or not?"

"Yes."

Jaune pulled the mask down from his mouth so that Yang could see the large smile. "Of course you will. Okay, let's make a plan."

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Neo was bored to an nth degree. The whole day had been spent going over plans, putting her in position, and just general scheming. The plan wasn't overly elaborate, that was for the best. If anything, it was overly simple and held too many outliers, but Roman was well aware of this. It was the main reason she was there, other than to help fight off any resistance. If something went down, she got the idiot out of there. All else was irrelevant.

She was currently sitting on top of the stolen Bullhead they would be using to pull off the air ambush on the Atlas ship. Ironically enough, the flying vehicle she was resting on was stolen Atlas tech, a super-advanced stealth prototype. She'd never admit it to anyone, but Roman's list of connections and what they could accomplish was very impressive. It made up for his lack of fighting prowess by a large margin.

The small women grabbed the tub of ice cream beside her and began spooning more of it into her mouth, shivering in delight at the taste. Looking down, she saw that some of the White Fang members had started to finally show up. There would only be around 15 members to show up. This meeting was only for the more skilled higher ups that would be riding in the stolen stealth Bullhead with Roman and her. All the other members were already in position at the landing pad where Weiss Schnee would be dropped off. They would be the ones to take the brunt of any resistance that the Atlas escort put up. They would be the ground forces or "fodder" as Roman had so bluntly put it.

How did Roman knew where the Heiress would be arriving? Yet another contact, this one being a higher up in the VPD. One of these days, she would have to get a look at that list he kept closer to his body than his own skin.

Mid-bite of another scoop of ice cream, Neo noticed another White Fang elite walk in. Seeing that blond hair, though, it nearly set Neo's nerves ablaze. The anger from last night had only intensified since then. The bright yellow reminded her of an incomplete job. It reminded her of _failure_. Something Neo didn't allow, even from herself.

"Neo!" A hoarse voice shouted. She looked down to see Roman looking up at her expectantly. _Has he been calling me?_

She gives a cutesy smile and waved at the bowler hat wearing thief. It sure was nice of him to make sure she was doing okay, even if it wasn't that necessary. To let him know, she gave a thumbs up and proceeded to keep eating ice cream. Roman sighed before assuming the smug smirk he used when addressing those he considered beneath him and began speaking out his ass.

"Esteemed members of the White Fang, tonight you get to strike a blow to the Schnee Dust Company the likes never seen before. Tonight…you make history!"

Roman raised his cane with the declaration and the small crowd broke out into a loud cheer. The applause died down quickly, however, no one wanting to waste time. The master thief straightened his jacket, lit a new cigar, and continued.

"I heard the news. I've been told that there has been a lot of uproar about working with a human like myself, but today I will prove that we are indeed on the same side. I have the information, you have the strength. Together, Vale, one of the very kingdoms that refused to grant you rights will be brought to its knees. Then afterward the scum itself, Atlas!"

More cheering and applause echoes off the walls of the empty warehouse. Neo rolled her eyes at the display, seeing through Roman's act. If it wasn't the threat of dissent in the White Fang, her partner wouldn't have gone to anywhere near these lengths to gain their support. However, Cinder had advised it after a talk with Adam, and those were two people to not piss off. When Cinder "advises" you, it better be done within the next day.

Neo went in for another scoop of the sugary treat but found nothing except air. If she remembered correctly, then there wasn't another box of Neapolitan in the freezer. Just her second favorite flavor of Mint Chip. It would have to do.

"…now let me go over the plan one last time. At this time, White Fang members have probably secured the area and are waiting for the heiress to arrive at exactly 12:30 PM. There are two ships of Atlesian Knights traveling with her. Knights I might add that we don't intend to fight." Added Roman with a smile and a wave of his cigar.

A chuckle went up over the crowd and the faunus began to get even more anxious to leave. Some having even drawn their respective weapons. Others with tails began waging them subconsciously while few even gave out feral growls. Jeez, this almost gave Roman justification of his prejudice against the group.

"How are we going take out the ships with the Knights you ask? With "state-of-the-art" Atlas tech of course and a side of irony."

Roman pulled out his cane and tapped it against the shimmering black Bullhead Neo was sitting on top of. "This baby right here is an Atlas Recon/Infiltration Mach 30 Stealth Tiger model A. Fast enough to outpace a police Bullhead by 200 mph. Three advanced dust missile launchers and two mini-guns. We will take out the convoy before they even know we are there."

The applause has reached the level of just plain howling now as if they had already successfully kidnapped the heiress and were back for brandy and cigars. Neo nearly put her hands over her ears to block out the thunderous noise before Roman once again quieted them. The irritation he felt perfectly hidden behind a smug mask used to fool fools.

"Finally, we will disable the main engine on the Bullhead carrying the heiress. Then the ground force led by Lieutenant Saw will go in for the girl and fight any resistance left. If they are still fighting by the time we land, that is when you and I will help take out any remaining fighters, capture the heiress, and leave on the Stealth Tiger. If all goes well, then we should be out of there in six minutes. Ten at the most. Are there any questions?"

There was a low murmur in the crowd but no one came forth with questions. Roman took the time to light a new cigar before speaking again.

"If that is the case, then let's move out."

Neo jumped down from her perch on the Bullhead and landed beside her partner in crime. He gave her a brief glance before walking forward into the vehicle. She walked with him past the passenger bay and into the piloting area where a White Fang member was sitting in the cockpit ready to take off on the command. Roman sat in the co-pilot seat and took off his bowler hat, replacing it with a set of large headphones. After flipping a few switches and readying the Stealth prototype for takeoff, he turned the faunus beside him.

"Everything online Perry?"

The glasses wearing Faunus gave a thumbs up in response. "Great. Then let's get this over with then. Start her up." Perry nodded, pressing the button that started the dual engines and sent extra fuel to the lifters. This would usually be accompanied by a loud roaring of engines coming to life, but it was completely silent, a testament to the Stealth Tiger's manufacturing. The floor shifted a bit as the Stealth Tiger lifted into the air and attempted to navigate out the large hole in the roof.

"There is more weight on the left side than expected. Add more power to the thrusters," muttered Roman, flipping a few more switches on his side. Perry pulled down a lever or two before the Bullhead leveled out once again and successfully made it out of the warehouse and rose higher in the air.

"Should we travel at max speed, sir?" Asked the Faunus.

"No, we will be traveling over a residential area on the way to the drop point. Keep it slow, we don't want to shake the apartments and give away our position. Turn on the cloaking device."

Perry nodded and pulled flipped another switch. Then finally, the Bullhead moved forward in route to intercept the Heiress at the drop point. "ETA…10 minutes."

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Jaune looked over to Yang to see how she was holding up, the wind blowing past his face quick enough so that it was hard to make out the details of the blonde girl beside him. What with all her flowing golden locks, she was faring far worse than he. It didn't help that she had to grasp the Bullhead with both hands, so pushing a bit of the hair out her face was not an option. _Seriously, consider a haircut._

Tightening his grip on the grooves of the Stealth Bullhead, Jaune lowered his center of gravity and actively used aura in his fingers to not be blown off. They were not traveling exceptionally fast, but it was enough to make holding on difficult. When Jaune had suggested that they hitch a ride – seeing that neither of them knew where the heiress was – he hadn't really thought it all the way through. Climbing on the roof of the warehouse had mostly been to just be able to listen in on the speech Roman was giving undetected. Faunus had especially good senses, smell being one of them. Even if they had acquired disguises, there was a good chance of being sniffed out, literally. Seeing how it also made hitching on the Bullhead easier was just a happy accident.

Speaking of, Jaune was _not_ doing well at all. It was difficult to hold in vomit when he was inside the freaking death traps, but outside where every hint of turbulence could be felt at full strength. Nope, it was simply an impossibility. While rejecting the contents of his stomach in front of his new and admittedly attractive friend wasn't in the plan, nature rarely cared. Turning to side not facing the girl, Jaune threw up, narrowly avoiding the bile hitting him in the face by a very close margin. Silently he thanked that the whipping air around them insured Yang wouldn't be able to smell his shame.

After the deed was done, he turned back around to see Yang looking at him with a mixture of mirth and revulsion. Right. Did Remnant hate him?

Looking back down, it was then that Jaune realized that metal was actually camouflaging with the night sky, making it mostly invisible to anyone not five inches away from it. Huh, the Stealth Tiger was no joke it seemed. Then again, it wasn't like Atlas to joke around when it came to military technology. Which made it all the more strange that Roman was able to get his hands on something so advanced, but that was food for thought for another day.

 _Well now is as good of time as any to make a game plan. Yang and I clearly can't take on a Kingdom renowned criminal and an army of terrorist. However, an army of metal knights might be able to. I'll have to try and stop Roman from taking out the convoy. That will make it much harder for him to put the plan into action. However, it may not be enough. I'm still not sure how good a fighter Yang is, but that can't be worried about right now._

 _Hmm, that is all well and good, but the biggest problem will be little miss ice cream thief. She was quick, and surprising strong to the point it took me off guard. It only took around fifteen hits to bring my aura down to 10% and I have a lot of aura. Not to mention she was able to avoid my dust attacks fairly well, only being caught off guard once. Illusions shouldn't be a huge problem with my aura sense, but it will put me on the back pedal…ugh, how do I let myself be roped into these situations?_

Looking over his shoulder, Jaune saw where the main left engine connected to the left wing of the Bullhead. It seemed that the prototype engine ran on liquid dust fuel rather than crystallized cells like its slower counterpart. It allowed more power to be put into the engine because of its ability to conduct better. Hmm, now that gave Jaune an idea.

A low hum came from the vehicle as it slowly reduced speed until the wings shifted into hover mode. After he was sure it wasn't going move again, Jaune slowly rose to his feet, nearly falling backward if Yang hadn't caught him.

"Thanks, Yang."

She nodded and slowly began working the knots out her windblown hair. Neither of them moved too much, knowing it would alert the people in the Bullhead that they had uninvited guests. Jaune pressed his hands together and worked the kinks out of them from gripping for so long.

Looking around, he saw that the Bullhead was currently hovering about three hundred meters above the ground. The area Jaune assumed the drop off was a happening was a concrete clearing surrounded by buildings on all sides, and seemed to be a place meant for loading and unloading cargo. It also pointed to the fact that this was not a residential area, seeing that all the buildings were in fact businesses. It must be somewhere in Beacon's commercial district.

On the ground were men and women all dressed in police uniforms and a VPD Bullhead ready to escort the heiress away to presumably to her place of lodging. If Jaune hadn't known any better, he would have thought they were the real police escort. No doubt the ruse would fool the Atlas convoy long enough for them to be taken off guard.

"Hey Yang, I think I can take this thing out of the sky," spoke Jaune over the dull hum of the engines. Yang, who was still involved in a losing battle with the knots in her hair, turned to Jaune with a raised eyebrow meant to ask "how are you going to do that?" without speaking.

"Well, this Stealth Bullhead is using liquid dust to power the engines and liquid dust is great at conducting electronic pulses. I figure if I hit this thing with enough lightning, it could overcharge one or both of the engines and bring it crashing down. If we time our jump right, we could make it on top of one of these buildings and escape unseen."

Yang brought up a hand and waved it around.

"Well you see, I have enough electric dust weaved into my hoodie to do the job…I think."

Yang looked like she was about to gesture something else, but her gaze snapped up towards the sky. Jaune followed her line-of-sight and spotted three Bullheads coming this way and quick. He had to take this thing down before it had a chance to fire upon the convoy. Jaune focused all his aura into his right arm and activated the Electric Dust, causing white arcs of energy to spark around his sleeve.

"Get ready!"

Yang nodded and activated the yellow bracelets on her wrist, which turned into metal gauntlets. There also seemed to be ammo of some kind, but there wasn't time figure out how it worked. Turning back towards the left wing, Jaune directed the flow of power through his hand and fired out something resembling a lightning bolt directly on the engine.

The results were immediate.

Everything lurched to the right side as the lifter on the left wing maxed its power output and exploded, engulfing the entire left wing in flames. Jaune flew to the side and slammed into Yang, knocking them both off the Bullhead and into a free fall.

The sudden change in placement and inability to figure out what was up or down made it exceptionally difficult to figure out how or when to brace for landing. Jaune would have very well impacted on the ground below if not for a strong hand grabbing his collar. A second later there was a yellow flash of light and the downward plummet slowed. Another flash a light and the descent decelerated a final time before they finally came to an abrupt stop in the form of a concrete slab. Seeing as Yang had grabbed hold of Jaune, they ended up in a heap of tangled limbs when they impacted on the roof of one of the buildings.

 _Don't think about the two soft things pressing into your back. Just…do not…think about it._

Jaune lifted up and pushed Yang off him, ignoring how sore his muscles were. That was about at the bottom of the list of things of worry about.

"How did we slow down?" Asked the teen, getting to his feet and looking into the night sky, only to see the two Atlas combat ships descending quickly into the docking area. _Wait, where is the passenger Bullhead?_

Yang tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to her gauntlets. He didn't exactly understand what she meant but there was no time to explain. Looking around he still didn't see the passenger Bullhead the Heiress had been on in the sky or the Stealth Tiger.

"Hey, where are the-"

Yang walked past him and stopped at the edge of the building they were on. Jaune followed and looked over the edge to see the Stealth Tiger – in its uncloaked form – at the bottom engulfed in flames along with the Atlas passenger ship. The two convoy Bullheads had seemed to have landed fine, however, and where currently unloading unit after unit of Atlesian Knights to combat the White Fang ambush. It seemed a fire fight was already in full swing, one that was heavily in favor of the Fang.

 _It really can never be easy, can it?_

"So should we go help-"

Turning to his side, Jaune saw that Yang had already taken it upon herself to jump off the building into the fray, firing large shotgun blast from her gauntlets to reduce the fall speed. _That answers that question I guess._ Sighing, the blond Knight unsheathed Crocea Mors and jumped into the fray as well.

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Roman didn't know what happened.

One second, everything had been going smooth like clockwork. The weapon systems had been about to fire upon the two escort Bullheads and take out the main engine of the passenger ship. Something – a malfunction or tampering – had made the left wing thruster output more power than the machine could handle, exploding engine and sending the Stealth Tiger hurling into an uncontrolled spin, ending with them colliding with the Schnee passenger Bullhead. After that, everything became a blur.

 _Something is burning._

The acrid smell of melting steel and smoke woke Roman from his unconsciousness. Bleary eyed, he looked around, seeing orange and red smudges all around him. Slowly, he also became aware of the fact that he was dragged by his arm. As his aura kicked in, his senses began to kick in. The dull numbness was replaced by a splitting headache, muted muffles were replaced by the sounds of screams and gunfire, and the metallic taste in his mouth was identified as blood.

"Hey, let me go," asked Roman to the person dragging him away from the burning shell of the Stealth Tiger. Gently he was lowered and allowed to get back to his feet on his own power. As he stood, the concerned mitch-matched eyes of his partner met his. It was side he rarely got to see. Neo handed him Melodic Cudgel and stood close by to make sure he didn't fall. It was a nice gesture but unneeded.

"Hey Neo, make sure we get the girl."

The small woman nodded and disappeared the next instant. _Good, this thing won't be completely a bust if we can snag her._ Roman reached into his pocket and pulled out a golden box engraved _R. Torchwick_ and withdrew a cigar. After placing it back in his coat pocket – a coat that would need to be replaced because singe marks were _unacceptable_ – the thief idly brought the end of the cigar near one of the many billowing flames in the area and placed it between his lips once it was lit.

Seeing how the only thing to do now was let Neo get the girl, Roman decided the best plan of action was to begin to withdraw. No doubt Hunters were descending on this area like moths to a dust fire. Looking around the large area, Roman spotted one of the more useful animals of the bunch.

"Perry!"

Over the chatter of automatic gunfire, it was a miracle that the young White Fang member heard Roman at all, but Perry turned and saw Roman. He was very worse for wear, sporting deep cuts and discolored bruises. The gray mask and glasses that had been present on the kid before this were gone, most likely lost in the emergency landing. These injuries didn't stop him from sprinting over to Romans position.

"Mr. Torchwick! I didn't know if-"

"Cut the chatter kid, I don't die that easily. What's happening?"

"Well, we are currently fighting the Atlesian Knights. They have made a barricade around the Schnee. I came to just in time to see Lieutenant Saw going in for her, but all the smoke made it impossible to tell if he was successful. We outmatch them in strength, but it seems they had unexpected backup…"

Roman nearly bit through his cigar. "What do you mean unexpected backup?"

Before Perry could answer, a White Fang member came flying through the smoke over their head before impacting off the concrete with enough force to crack it. Other came soaring out the thick layer of smoke as if thrown by a cannon.

The orange haired man let out a sigh that spoke of untold fatigue and infinite frustration. "I'll handle this. Tell everyone to start retreating. We need to be out of here in in five minutes." _Or less._ "Use the decoy Bullhead as a getaway vehicle and have it ready before I get back."

Roman walked through the smoke, Melodic Cudgel grasped tightly in his left hand. If it was a professional Hunter, then things got a lot harder. They had a bad habit of coming in pairs or Oum forbid a team. Thank goodness that it seemed to only be one. The long golden hair made her hard to miss. She seemed to be around 19 or 20. Possibly fresh out of graduation. Good, it made it much easier on him, though caution was still needed.

Lifting his weapon, Roman fired two shots at her just as she went in on another White Fang elite. She was taken by surprise, getting hit twice in the side, which also allowed the White Fang member to deliver a crushing roundhouse into her chest, which sent the girl flying back into a large metal container. Three more White Fang members appeared and rushed in for the Huntress, weapons drawn.

Before they reached her, the blonde rose quickly and greeted the first White Fang member with a punch square to the sternum. The force was so great that he was sent skipping off the pavement like a stone tossed across water. A strike from a dust infused tonfa was evaded and punished with an uppercut that sent the White Fang member flying upward several meters. The blond Huntress knocked a sword strike away with ease before driving her heel into the man's ankle and blasting him in the stomach with her gauntlets.

The two remaining White Fang "elites" backed away, seeing the ease at which the Huntress had dispatched their mates. Roman groaned once again before stepping forward, the grip in his cane becoming relaxed. _Worthless mutts._

"Tell the others we are withdrawing. I'll handle the Huntress."

The two White Fang nodded and ran off. Roman paid them little mind, instead eying his new opponent up and down. Her eyes were red, and golden hair seemed to be on fire. Whether that was a semblance or visual hallucination caused by all the actual fire in the background, Roman did not know.

"So what brings-"

The blond rushed him with a right jab already cocked, not giving him a chance to do his usual mind games. No matter. Roman brought up his cane with surprising speed, whipping the girl across the face before she could get in range. Those punches might as well have been laced with dynamite and he didn't doubt a few of them would put him down for the count.

She took the hit like a pro, moving with the momentum and twisting around for a roundhouse. Roman jumped backward and brought up the business end of Melodic Cudgel, firing a blistering hot shell of dust into her abdomen. What he didn't expect was for her to tank the hit outright and land a southpaw on his right side, cracking bone despite aura. Roman brought up his left knee and drove it as deep as it could go into the girl's thorax. He allowed a satisfied smirk to grace lips when he heard air explode from the Huntress' mouth.

But the girl wouldn't be put down. He backpedaled to avoid a blow so strong the wind coming off it could knock a lesser man down. Contorting his body sideways, Roman missed the shotgun blast that followed as well, bringing his cane back around for a downward strike that cracked against the girl's skull with force meant to kill. In this case, however, it merely brought the buxom blond to a knee. Taking full advantage, Roman attempted to deliver a powerful kick to her throat, but only hit air when she rolled out the way at the last second.

She rose as quickly as possible so as to gain some distance and fire shells, but Roman was faster. Just as she raised her head an intense burning erupted from her face, the result of Torchwick putting out his cigar directly on her eye before slamming his elbow into her nose. To finish off, he grabbed a handful of the yellow locks and yanked her head down directly into his waiting knee, the loud crack proof of something breaking.

The girl went limp, only being held upright by his grip on her scalp. Idly, Roman let her drop to the concrete in a crumpled heap. She'd fought well, though very sloppily for a trained Huntress. There was no time to think about it now. Turing around, the anything but common criminal limped towards his ticket out of Dodge. In the background, he could already hear the sirens of the VPD.

"Perry better have the Bullhead ready to go by the time I get there."

/-/

Jaune Arc was a not a stupid man. Or at least he wasn't anymore. There was a time to realize that in certain situations, fighting fair just wasn't an option. In fact, it usually never was in real life. Which is why he considered himself a planner before all else. Line the deck until victory is assured and what not. Sadly, life rarely allowed you time in advance to plan. Which is why being sharp in the mind was infinitely more important than having a sharp weapon. Still, having a sharp weapon wasn't so bad either.

He and Yang had jumped into the ensuing battle hoping to get to the heiress' hand to help as much as possible, though they immediately ran into interference. His female partner opted to stay and fight and give him an opening to go save the girl, assuming he was even able to.

Yep. Go to where presuming all of the strongest combatants are. Seriously, what the heck. Judging by what little he had seen of Yang fight, this probably should have been her job. _I don't think I ever saw someone hit that hard._ However, there hadn't been time to argue or strategize. The few White Fang he had seen were busy battling it out with Atlesian Knights to pay him any mind, the only hazards being stray bullets and rouge explosions. After a minute of precious time looking, Weiss Schnee came into view.

She seemed to be fighting alongside a blue haired man holding a large dust powered battle axe. _A Hunter_. That was excellent, or so Jaune would have thought if he didn't look closer at the scene. The large man was clearly on his last leg, evident by the slowing speed of his counters and wounds that were not being repaired by aura. Luckily, Weiss herself seemed to be in top condition and quite the fighter at that, freezing opponents solid with a command of dust that rivaled Jaune's own ability.

The Hunter was engaged in a violent battle with two surprisingly quick swordsmen and one incredibly muscular faunus wielding an oversized chainsaw three men wouldn't be able to lift. Steeling his nerves, Jaune prepared to attack from behind and give the Hunter an opening. A familiar presence appeared out of his peripheral vision stopped Jaune dead.

 _Ice cream thief._

Ice Cream – as Jaune had begun to refer to her – didn't see him, the thick smoke most likely obscuring him from view. The women wasn't looking his way either, instead completely focused on the Hunter. _Wait no. She is staring at the girl_. This battle was about to be over. The swordsman knew that if this woman joined the fray, the Hunter would be dead and the girl captured within a moment. So…there was only one thing to do.

"Hey! Hey you!" Jaune yelled over the war zone.

The small women turned around and regarded him with a blank stare. _Maybe she doesn't recognize me from the store._ Reaching up, Jaune removed the black mask he was wearing and drew Crocea Mors. Her eyes shined with recognition before the expression was replaced with one of burning anger bordering on hatred.

"What do you say we settle the score?" Propositioned the boy, a confident smirk resting his face composed of bullshit and bravado. "Or are you scared to slip again?"

He never even had a chance to raise his shield before _she_ closed the distance. A steel tipped heel aimed directly for his throat missed by mere inches, Jaune having jumped backward in time. Before the boy's feet touched the ground again, the business end of possibly the most deadly parasol in existence struck at untraceable speeds, hitting home on each vital organ within the span of a second. The force flung Jaune backward, causing him to let Crocea Mors slip from his grasp and clatter to the ground. Yet as his feet touched the ground, Jaune activated the Fire-type Dust in his left sleeve and spent a pillar of flame her way.

"It's going to take more than that to kill me!" Jaune yelled over the roar of his attack. Of course, he left out the part where Intego once again had saved his life, making sure the blade did not penetrate through to his flesh. Still, hurt like Hell.

Neo brought up her parasol and blocked the stream of fire, irritation at the fight growing. As soon as the attack ended, she prepared to attack, however, a large change in air pressure stopped her plans. The elegant weapon was nearly ripped from her hands as a large gust of wind captured her parasol and lifted Neo into the air.

Jaune smiled to himself. First, the fire to force her to open the parasol, then the wind to blow her back. It was a trick that would most likely only work once, so he took full advantage. The teen ran off as quick as possible, ready to enact the final trap. Looking around, he found the Stealth Tiger, still in flames. Looking closely, Jaune saw that a large amount of liquid was pooled underneath the downed vehicle and surrounding area, just as hoped.

Sensing an attack coming from behind at a speed that rivaled near teleportation, Jaune jumped forward to negate some of the momentum of the attack, knowing his body was too slow to dodge. Intego hardened a second before the needle blade from Ice Cream's parasol hit the spot between his shoulder blades. The attack cut Jaune's aura down by 50% and sent him careening forward, only to stop abruptly when Ice Cream seemingly appeared from thin air in front of him and drove a heel far enough into his gut to tickle the L21 vertebrate.

The last thing Jaune noticed before everything turned upside down was the fact that the girl's eyes were not Heterochromatic, but instead, both pupils were blazing red. The broken boy fell to the ground face first, purposely not using aura to protect his face, resulting in a broken nose. It mattered little. Ice Cream was behind him no doubt about to pierce his skull with her blade. Without thinking, Jaune used the last vestiges of aura to activate his Electric-type Dust and placed a hand on the wet ground.

The liquid Dust that had spilled from the engine of the downed Stealth Tiger activated along with the Electric-type Dust, amplifying the reaction multiple times over. The heat alone nearly burned all the skin from Jaune's face, who quickly lost control of the attack. Large arcs of lightning erupted from the ground, cutting through the smoke and high into the sky.

 _I wouldn't want to be wearing metal heels right now._ Then the world went dark for the Arc.

/-/

Neo stood rigid looking at the bloodied blond boy. No matter how hard she attempted to move, she stayed anchored to the spot as if magnetically drawn. Her nervous system and aura were currently going completely haywire, a result of many watts of electricity traveling through her body like a tesla tower. White splotches entered in and out of her vision, none of her senses seeming to be on the same page.

Looking at the tip of her parasol, she saw that the metal end was glowing white hot, same for the metal tipped ends of her boots. All attempts to move were met with a complete lack of compliance from her body. Every inch of skin seemed to buzz and pop with aftershocks, which became less intense as aura finally repaired the frayed ends that was her nervous system. Anyone without aura would be dead. Hell, if she didn't have a full bar of aura before the attack, Neo might have died.

 _Twice. He has caught me off guard fucking twice._

As hearing finally returned, the first thing she caught on to was the loud blaring of sirens filling the area. It was time to go before Hunters completely surrounded them. Finally able to move despite a bit of soreness, Neo leveled the needle point directly at the boy's neck. It would only take a second.

 _No…there is more fun to be had with keeping him alive._

So with a small smirk, Neo withdrew the blade and walked away. This boy would prove to be one of the more interesting toys.

/-/

Weiss panted heavily, deflecting another sword strike before attacking with a powerful jab, impaling a White Fang operative through the stomach. The feeling of pulling out the rapier from a man's insides nearly made the Heiress vomit, despite this being the eighth time. There was simply no time to make sure she was striking in non-vital areas, everything happening in a blur.

"Arrrg!"

Looking to her side, Weiss saw that Sinbad – the Hunter hired to escort her – had cut down another White Fang member before raising his axe in time to block the strike of an enormous chainsaw once again. The bloodied man was pushed back several feet but still stood headstrong against the attack, pushing the high ranking White Fang member back.

Sinbad had been suffering an endless barrage of gunfire that wasn't soaked up by the Atlesian Knights, while also taking hits that were meant for the Heiress herself. This left him a bleeding and nearly broken man, the silver breastplate he started out with was littered with large rips, his cheek sported a large groove that went straight through to the mouth courtesy of a filthy faunus claw. Gunfire had been rained upon his legs until they shook and trembled, barely able to carry weight. A dust powered knife was still sticking out of his shoulder. Yet, the man still smiled so as to not let Weiss give up hope.

"Just a little longer," she heard him murmur before blocking another powerful strike. Weiss wanted to help, but the battlefield kept her constant attention. She parried another blow, this time in the form of a large mace, before countering with a thrust through his shoulder. Once again, sickness threatened to take her when blood squirted from the wound and a horrified shriek met her ears.

It unfocused her, only for a second, but it was enough. A fist sporting metal knuckles slammed against her jaw, sending her stumbling backward and loosening her grip on Myrtenaster enough for the weapon to be ripped from her grasp. Another punch sent her to the ground, halfway unconscious and nearly concussed.

"Weiss!"

Sinbad threw his axe at the White Fang brawler, cutting the man in half down the torso before he could strike Weiss again. However, this left him open to an attack. The large chainsaw came down on the dark skinned Hunter, a strike he blocked using his bare hands with the help of aura. This standoff lasted little more than three seconds before blood erupted from his palms, the teeth of the saw ripping flesh apart. His eyes widened in horror when with a nauseating sound and a final flash of aura, both hands were dismembered.

It was as if time froze in that moment. His eyes met Weiss', agony displayed in its purest form. Her heart stopped beating, and it became a task comparable to running a marathon to just draw breath. The look of Sinbad, with only stumps for hands, would haunt her dreams for years to come. However, his last words would prove to be even more chilling.

" _I'm sorry"_

Before the words had barely been mouthed, the chainsaw blade came down on Sinbad's neck, severing the bone and decapitating the good Hunter, his pained grimace immortalized in death.

An ear-splitting scream made every faunus in the area cringe in pain. It was filled with unbridled horror and sadness. Weiss didn't even realize it was, in fact, her scream until a strong hand clamped around her throat and lifted her from the ground, bringing the girl face to face with a monster in human skin. The gray White Fang mask was cracked, a result of Sinbad's handiwork, allowing Weiss to stare into the cold black pupils of the man.

"Finally, a Schnee."

His deep voice sent a cold shiver down her spine. "Roman said to bring you in alive. However, I never heard unharmed." He raised her high into the air, and prepared to throw the girl into the concrete. Weiss squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the impact to come. It never did.

"W-Why can't I move?!"

"That would be my doing."

The female voice came from behind Weiss, so she couldn't see who it was. Based on the confidence and absolute _rage,_ she guessed it was a Huntress. A second later her presumption was proved correct when the White Fang scrum screamed in pain, his arm having been bent backward at an unnatural position. His grip on Weiss disappeared, and she was caught in the loving embrace of the invisible force. Meanwhile, it seemed that same force had broken both arms and was now on to the legs of the White Fang murderer.

 _Good riddance_

"Glynda. Glynda!"

Weiss felt the invisible force set her down gently. Her eyes still drawn to the writhing form of the man that killed Sinbad. When he passed out from unconsciousness, there a part of the heiress that wished he was still awake to feel the pain of having his bones crushed. Weiss turned around to see an older blonde haired woman standing beside a gray-haired man of indiscernible age who walked with a cane.

Weiss attempted to stand, but collapsed before making it one step. She fell into the embrace of the gray-haired man, who had somehow closed the difference in a matter of seconds. Without warning, a wave of intense fatigue hit the small girl, the adrenaline cooling off. The final thing she heard was the older man speaking to his partner.

"This makes three freshmen now."

/-/

The old VPD Bullhead that was being used as a decoy now rattled along away from the commercial district towards one of Roman's safe houses. The mood inside the Bullhead was that of defeat. This largely being about the amount of members that had been left behind. Worst of all, there was absolutely nothing to show for it.

Roman's hand was trembling so violently that he failed to pull out a new cigar. Neo thankfully did the job for him, an act he was eternally grateful for. After a few puffs, the nicotine kicked in and somewhat calmed his frayed nerves.

 _How did this happen? How did this happen?_

The same question played on a loop in his mind. It was a question that would have to be answered within the next twenty-four hours or Cinder would roast him alive. The fact that there was an extra Hunter there lead to the conclusion of a rat among the animals. He'd yet to question Neo, but the very fact she didn't have the heiress, and the edges of her clothes were burned lead to the conclusion that she had faced off against someone of competent skill. So that made two unaccounted for Hunters that were not hired.

 _Thank goodness that I left that girl alive._

She would be forced to give a statement to the VPD, and then through his vast array of contacts and a bit of pressure, he'd find out exactly how his well-crafted plan imploded into a shit storm. With his mind now somewhat at ease, he eased into his seat and allowed Perry to fly the rest of the way.

* * *

 **A/N: Finished. This mini-arc was originally going to last only two chapters but I decided to make it three chapters after this chapter turned out longer than expected. The aftermath and repercussions will be featured in Part 3 of Little Yellow Dragon. After that, we finally get to Beacon.**


	4. Little Yellow Dragon Part 3

Chapter 4: Little Yellow Dragon Part 3

Beta: Shad0wReaper133

* * *

 _Beacon hasn't even started yet and he is already in this much trouble. Geez Jaune, two days in a row? That's like a record._

Jonathan Arc's lamentations over his son's apparent phase of reckless abandon had been going on for nearly the entire Bullhead ride to Beacon. Honestly, he trained Jaune to be smarter than this. Jaune _was_ smarter than this. Which was why the events of yesterday night were so strange. His son usually didn't fight directly, and certainly never attempted to fight an opponent stronger than himself unless necessary. It was one of the reasons he'd let go the incident two nights ago when Jaune told him he had fought a powerful thief. That was simply a matter of wrong place at the wrong time. But this…this was different.

" _You have approximately five seconds to answer why you have my son's Scroll."_

" _Jonathan, it's me."_

"… _Ozpin. I thought Beacon didn't start for another week?"_

" _It doesn't. I have some unfortunate news to give you…"_

Apparently, Jaune had put his father down for emergency contact. It was a reasonable move; Jaune had always hated to upset his mother and sisters. Any horrible news would go through his dad first, who could then inform the family accordingly. Jonathan hadn't told anyone else about this yet and most likely wouldn't. If what Ozpin said was anything to go by, his son was currently getting out of intensive care and was expected to make a full recovery, no small part because of his massive aura reserves.

"That boy is going to be the death of me." Jonathan sighed, looking out the window, wishing he could make the Bullhead go faster. _I swear if he did this to get laid, I'll send him back home to be castrated by his mother._

Looking around at the other passengers, he saw some were blatantly staring at him, while others were giving him the side glance. Jonathan Arc let a lazy smile come to his lips and he laid back into his seat, running a hand through his long blond hair. _I still got it. Please, ladies and gentlemen, I'm a taken man._

What the senior huntsman didn't expect was for a little black and red themed girl to come up to him and begin gawking at the sword resting between his legs. She looked like she might even reach out to cop a feel. _Um, my eyes are up here._

"Excuse me, little girl, may I help you?"

That seemed to get her attention. She looked up at the man before squeaking in a mixture of fear and surprise before outstretching a hand. "Hello, my name is Ruby Rose!"

Taking the somewhat odd situation in stride, Jaune's father outstretched his own massive hand and shook, being careful not to dislocate her shoulder. Jonathan Arc was a large man standing at a staggering 6 foot 7 inches with a wide, muscular frame to boot. Seeing as he was leaving directly from a mission to Vale, he still donned his combat outfit. A tight fitting black undershirt, metal breastplate, and a thick leather jacket over that. His pants were dark brown and his combat boots were forest green.

"Jonathan," he replied, giving a firm shake before letting go. With those pleasantries out the way, her eyes seemed magnetically drawn to his weapon. "Are you interested in my-"

"Are you a Huntsman?!"

"Um, yes. Yes, I am-"

"Can I see your sword?!"

The swordsman chuckled to himself. This little girl slightly reminded him of his youngest daughter. She was the only one of his many children still fascinated by his behemoth of a weapon, the others having gotten over the novelty. Jonathan's blade was huge, measuring in at six feet in length and nearly a foot in width. It was steel gray with a small amount of discoloration. The guard was just as impressive, gilded in gold but hollow, allowing for dust crystals to be stored there. The handle was draped in a nice brown leather, which made for a wonderful grip. The fact that this Ruby girl was practically drooling over it didn't surprise the proud Huntsman in the least.

"Of course you can," replied Jonathan, happy for the distraction for now. He took the sword from between his legs and handed it to the girl making sure first that she wouldn't buckle under the weight of the massive weapon. Surprising she held onto it just fine.

"Wow, a tempered steel, the irregular pattern on the blade, impeccable blade edge…you must use your own whetstone for sharpening rather than having it done commercially. Is that a multi-functioning compartment used for Dust storage?! Which kinds do you use? Is it channeled through the-"

Jonathan would have kept listening to the girl rant about his Buster Sword, but he noticed another passenger had stood up and walked over to his seat wearing an apologetic smile. Like himself, the man had blond hair, albeit a bit shorter, and wasn't nearly as handsome.

"Hey, this is my little girl. Sorry if she is being a bother. Ruby loves her weapons."

The Arc family man shook his head as if to dismiss the thought. "It's quite alright. I have 8 children of my own and seven girls at that. This is tame comparatively speaking."

The other blond smiled and outstretched a hand. "Then you have my greatest sympathies. The name's Taiyang Xiao-Long."

"Jonathan Arc," replied Jonathan, reaching out to shake Tai's hand. As he gripped, though, he realized Tai was gripping back with strength not usual to a normal citizen. "I'm guessing you and I have similar occupations."

"Yeah, you could say that. Though I haven't seen any action in a while."

The father of eight nodded knowingly. A lot of Hunters hung up their weapons after they had children, not willing to take the risk anymore. While Jonathan was not one of them, he still respected the decision. He'd spend every waking second with his family if possible.

"…and is the blade able to extend? Also, it's rare to see a weapon that isn't also sporting ammo." The girl stopped to take a breath, finally done with her mini-rant. Jonathan smiled and took the weapon back, flourishing it around to the amazement of the girl and mild horror of the other passengers.

"To answer your questions, the blade doesn't extend, the cross guard compartment is used to storage Dust crystals, I commonly use fire and wind. However, my son talked me into trying out Earth type, and yes, I channel it through the blade with aura."

Ruby nodded slowly, eyes still sparkling in wonderment. "Cool, see I have Crescent Rose…" Tai, who had been pretty idle up to this point, turned to his daughter with his hands up.

"Ruby wait-"

He was cut off by the mechanical sound of metal components clicking into place. The tiny girl pulled out a gun looking thing that quickly unfolded and turned into a large scythe/gun hybrid that dwarfed the wielder. A few passengers in the area gasped, but they went largely ignored.

"A multifunctioning bolt-action sniper rifle combined with a razor-edged scythe blade. Very nice young lady. I take it you are a Huntsman-in-training."

Ruby nodded her head with pride that threatened to burst through her small chest. "Yep, I'm going to Beacon in another week with my sister Yang."

"Really now? Then you might see my son Jaune then. He has trouble making friends, so I would appreciate it if you said hello."

The girl went silent. She cocked her head to the side for a moment before her eyes grew to the size of saucers and her mouth hung open. "You're Jaune's Dad?!"

/-/

Yang was bored out of her head. Speaking of which, the painful throbbing in her head and abdomen had finally subsided after the painkiller took effect. From what she'd been told, apparently, she woke up during the ambulance ride to the hospital but had been delirious the entire time. The fact Yang didn't remember any of that validated it.

Currently, she was in a hospital bed, tucked deep underneath the white sheets. The room was pretty small, and everything was white. The tiled floor, the walls, even the door knob. If white really did signify cleanliness, then Yang should consider herself lucky that the threat of infection was most likely in the negatives.

The girl looked down at the scroll in her hand and signed. She had already called her father and Ruby, letting them know she was indeed alright. Apparently, Professor Ozpin, the Headmaster at Beacon had already called and informed them what the situation was. Her Dad did not sound happy in the least, in fact, it might the most frustrated he'd been in a long time. Despite trying to explain it the best she could, Tai hadn't sounded any happier. However, that was hardly what was currently gnawing at the girl. Jaune Arc – current partner in crime – was filling her thoughts.

Every time Yang attempted to ask about him, the nurses gave some bullshit about confidentiality. Like what the heck? She'd even tried to message him but got no response, which could mean any number of things. Him being unconscious at the moment, his scroll having been destroyed, or even Jaune simply not wanting to speak with her. If it was the last one, she really couldn't blame him.

The turning of the door knob interrupted Yang's thoughts. A smile came to her face a second later when a familiar figure walked in, reeking of blood and alcohol. The smell would have made any normal person recoil in disgust, but it only brought good memories to the girl.

"Hey, kid." Spoke the grizzled man before bringing a flask to his lips.

"Hey, Uncle Qrow." Her voice came out rougher than usual, a side-effect of breathing too much smoke and airborne particles last night. It was the reason why she was hooked to IV at the moment instead of being able to eat. She also had a splint on her nose, which made it difficult to talk without sounding off. The man before her raised an eyebrow in concern for a brief second before taking a seat next to the bed.

"So they treating you alright in the place. I don't have to raise Hell?"

Yang giggled a bit, though she winced a moment later at the irritation in her throat. "I'm fine. I just wish they'd tell me how Jaune is doing."

"He's doing fine," answered Qrow nonchalantly, taking another sip from his flask. "And before you ask how I know, Ozpin briefed me."

A weight Yang didn't know she had was lifted at the news. Of course, Jaune was okay. "So he got out uninjured?"

Qrow frowned a bit. "No, no he didn't. I don't have the details, but apparently, he got out of intensive care just a few hours ago."

 _It's my fault._

"Well," spoke Qrow, grunting as he stood up. "I wish I could stay and hear the whole story but got to run." He walked back over to the exit. Yang wasn't disappointed to see him leave since she knew he never stayed long. The Huntsman placed his hand on the doorknob but didn't make a move to leave, almost as if he wanted to say more.

"Hey, Yang. I'd thought I would tell you, the authorities in Atlas and Vale would rather this be kept secret. It seems this goes a bit deeper than just Torchwick and the Fang. You'll be questioned by VPD in a few minutes as well, so be prepared." Qrow hesitated, gripping the door handle to the point it began to warp in shape. "I'm not going to badger you about being safe. That's Ruby's job and she's a whole lot better than I am at it. Just…be careful."

Then Qrow finally opened the door and walked into the hallway. "Oh, and Yang," he turned around and touched his nose lightly. "Looking good."

Before she could utter a retort, the door closed, leaving Yang alone again. _Psh, well don't let the door hit you on the way out._ Her Uncle was just joking of course like he always did, but comments about her looks would normally be met with deadly force. Seeing that Yang was currently hospitalized, she could only pout and fold her arms. _Bet, you wouldn't say that over here._

The girl didn't have long to brood, as more visitors pushed their way into the room. This time it was a silvered haired man walking with a cane, along with two men dressed in VPD uniforms.

"Hello Yang Xiao-Long, I'm Professor Ozpin, Headmaster at Beacon Academy. We would like to ask you a few questions regarding your actions last night."

/-/

The chances of meeting the father of Jaune – Tai only knowing his name because of Ruby – was unlikely. Not so coincidental that it should be classified as a miracle or something similar, but still unlikely. However, Tai was not upset in the least about this interesting turn of events. This Jaune boy would be going to school with both his daughters, which quickly put him at the top of the list of people Tai wanted to meet. Although, if Jaune was anything like his father, then it should be fine.

"What type of Grimm is that?" Asked Ruby excitedly, peering at a journal Jonathan had pulled out filled with different sketches of Grimm and symbols. The large blond smiled proudly, practically glowing at Ruby's awe.

"Well, thank you for asking Ruby. That one is a particularly perilous form of Grimm called Basilisk. They are so dangerous in fact, it took the combined effort of me, Jaune, and two other Huntsmen to bring it down. It was quite the task."

Under the sketch was a tally mark, meaning the seasoned Huntsman had only slain one of this type. It was the first Grimm to only have one tick mark thus far, which was a testament to just how experienced the man was. Tai almost envied him. Being out there in the wilds of the Grimm Lands with nothing but your wits. However, after everything that had happened in his life, the romanticism just wasn't present anymore.

"So, I take it your son has seen a lot of action then?" Asked Tai, interrupting the man from beginning the new tale, much to Ruby's disappointment. Jonathan closed the journal and set it to the side.

"Yes. I've always been a firm believer in the philosophy that to teach a boy how to swim, you throw em' in the lake."

The smaller of the two blond's nodded. In a way, he did understand. Ruby had spoken about the boy a lot two nights ago, along with Beacon, until finally passing out from exhaustion. It was only then Yang mentioned he was deaf, something apparently, his little girl either didn't see as important enough to bring up or forgot. How the boy was going to pull off Hunter training alluded Tai, but it would be insensitive to ask.

"So, tell me about this eldest daughter Tai. Did she come out of this okay?"

A grimaced formed on the father of two's face. Yang hadn't said why she was out when she called, but it hardly mattered. There couldn't be any good reason to take such an unreasonable risk like fighting a famous criminal and terrorist organization.

"She's fine. Just a mild concussion and some complications with smoke inhalation. Aura should heal it up pretty quick."

"Good, good. Can I see a picture? I want to see the girl my son risked his life with."

Tai looked for any signs of resentment in the Hunter's eyes but found none. Despite the wording, he didn't seem to upset with Yang, only filled with mild parental curiosity. Tai was about to pull out his scroll, but Ruby was already shoving her screen in the blond man's face.

"See, that's my sister Yang. She's really strong and pretty."

"Quite." Jonathan's eyes narrowed at the screen displaying Ruby's older sister. Then the man began chuckling lightly and scratching at his thick beard. "I can see why he was so ready to help now."

 _What does he mean by that?_

Before Tai could go into Protective Dad Mode, the elder Hunter pulled out his own scroll and handed it to him. The lock screen was displaying what was evidently a family photo of the Arc family, all standing in front of a large brick house. _W-what the Hell?_ One the seven daughters – who appeared to be the eldest – made him choke slightly. The girl could easily pass as an older Yang. Down to flowing blond hair and lilac eyes.

"Yeah, I guess I could see that." Breathed Tai, who felt like he just looked through a portal to the future. His eyes slowly landed on who most likely was the "Jaune" Ruby and Yang had spoken of. The boy was handsome and possessed caring eyes, but that was not what caught his attention. There was a little girl on the boy's shoulders who couldn't be any older than 12. She had short brunette hair, a wide smile, and owlish brown eyes. If not for that, she'd be able to pass as Ruby from afar.

 _Well, I probably don't have to worry about him attempting to date my daughters._

Just as Jonathan took his scroll back, an announcement went over the intercom that they would be landing soon.

"Hm. Seems we'll be landing soon. Think you could give me directions to the Hospital?"

/-/

Blue eyes shot open, frantically looking around a completely white-washed room. Acting instinct, Jaune attempted to move his arms but was met with resistance and mild pain. Going into a slight panic, the boy began to jerk around in his bed, desperately trying to reach out with his aura but found he had none. He attempted to move his head so as to possible scope out the surroundings, but his neck was braced. Grasping at straws, Jaune attempted to scream, but the intense burning that came after made rethink the idea.

 _Calm down Jaune. Calm down. Breathe. Focused on what happened last night… What happened last night?_

Breathing deeply from his nostrils, Jaune un-tensed his muscles and simply focused on where and why he was here. No longer in fight or flight mode, memories of last night's adventure slowly came back. Meeting up with his new friend Yang. Trailing a White Fang member. Holding onto the outside of a Stealth Bullhead like a badass. Taking down said Stealth Vehicle to save an Heiress like a badass. Then that was when everything became a bit hazy.

 _I was fighting someone… they were exceptionally strong… small…_ Jaune's eyes widened, the final thing he did before blacking out finally coming back. _Ice Cream… the tiny devil._

Jaune replayed the fight over and over in his head, memorizing every step and each tactic. After a few minutes of intense thought, the census was clear. _I was totally badass yesterday… or at least I hope it was yesterday._ Yes, the Hunter-in-training had fought well against someone who was faster, stronger, nimbler, and more experienced with a strong semblance to boot. _I wonder if my last attack disabled her. Clearly, I'm still alive, which I wouldn't be if I hadn't disabled her. Right? Pretty sure she would've killed me given the chance._

With the knowledge of last night now replayed, it became clear he was in a hospital. The reason he couldn't move his head was most likely because it was braced. His arms were immobile because they both were wrapped in slings. The reason he couldn't see properly was because bandages were wrapped over the left side of his face.

 _Dang, I got really messed up. Wonder how Yang did?_

His new friend Yang had been strong and fast, or at least the brief moments he saw her fight. Still, he worried for how she fared. Jaune himself was no pushover in a fight, but strength and speed had been easily outmatched. The same could be said for Yang if she went against someone of Huntsman level. There was nothing he could do about it now though but wait and hope to hear from her. Jaune couldn't reach his scroll, not without the use of his arms or peripheral vision. Seeing as there was nothing else to do, Jaune made together a mental to-do list for when he was released.

 _Need to sew more Electric-type Dust into Intego since I probably used most of it in the fight. More Fire-type Dust as well. I probably still have enough Wind-type to last me awhile, but I should probably infuse more in preparation for Beacon. I can't come off as weak. Absolutely not._

Jaune's breath hitched when his aura finally returned. Most people were not as aware of their aura as the knight was, unable to actively feel and manipulate it. This came nearly as natural as breathing for him. Immediately Jaune began working aura into his right arm, helping to fix whatever damage there was.

 _Hmm, a fractured humerus bone. Nice._

Seeing that his aura was so low at the moment, added on to the extensiveness of his injuries, the healing process was slow going. Jaune felt a shiver go through his body at the odd sensation of feeling the muscles and bone mend themselves. It was a sensation the boy had come to enjoy to a certain extent.

Deciding there was really no point in forcing himself to stay awake any longer, Jaune began to close his eyes and doze off. He'd nearly gone back to sleep when an extremely familiar aura washed over him. It was warm, comforting, and spoke of home. Not even a minute later, the man who had taught Jaune everything opened the door, his frame was so large it barely fit through the threshold. On his back was a large blade nearly as tall as he was, and his crystal blue eyes shone with untold wisdom. Jonathan Arc closed the door behind him and pulled up a chair directly in front of the bed so Jaune would be able to see him.

" _It hasn't even been four days since you left home Jaune, what the heck?"_ The Huntsman had learned sign language immediately after the incident that left Jaune deaf. In fact, he had learned it quicker than Jaune had. Realizing Jaune couldn't sign back with two more or less broken arms, Jonathan began to sign again. _"You're lucky I will not be telling your mother about this."_

Jaune felt a small smile coming to his face. It hadn't even been a week, but he had missed his father's banter. _"Blink twice if I should see the other guy."_ Feeling a laugh coming on, Jaune only blinked once. His father shook his head in mock shame.

" _A one-sided smackdown then. Damn son, I thought I taught you better. Maybe Beacon will beat this out of you. Also, I saw the girl you did all this with. Or maybe I should say did all of this for."_

Jaune sensed his father might be getting the wrong idea. However, that could be explained away later, right now he needed to know how she was doing. Using a bit of effort, Jaune attempted to convey his question through aura. It was the way he and his father communicated the most in battle. It was no good for actual conversation, but perfect for conveying emotion, desires, intent, and motivation. Most Huntsmen could do it, in fact, it was completely common among teams or partners, but few were actually aware it was happening. Jonathan and Jaune knew each other's auras as if they were shared, making communication near effortless.

" _Concerned about the girl_? _Don't be, she came out with only a broken nose, slight concussion, and effects of smoke inhalation. Also by the way son, I can respect taking the incentive when trying to get a girlfriend, but don't you think she looks a bit too much like Lavender?"_

This got a blush out of Jaune. Yang did share a lot of similar physical traits with his oldest sister, down to the eye color and generous amount of breast. Thinking about it now, that was most likely the reason he'd been so relaxed around the fellow Hunter-in-training.

" _Now that I think about it, Lavender did really do all the work in taking care of you. Probably some repressed feelings coming out. Not to mention the one time I found you in her dress doing Dust knows what."_

Jaune's face turned a brilliant red, mixed with shame and embarrassment. His dad hadn't brought up that incident in a while, though it clearly was not forgotten. The elder Hunter laughed at his son's discomfort. _"I'm sorry Jaune, it was just too funny. You brought it on yourself."_

Well, that was certainly not arguable.

" _All joking aside, I'm very disappointed Jaune."_

And just like that, Jonathan the Jovial died and was replaced by his counterpart, Jonathan the Hunter/Father. Jaune loved his dad and they had a very good relationship. They understood each other and could joke for hours. However, that man disappeared during the missions and training. Instead replaced with a stern, critical, and dead serious Hunter who treated Grimm as nothing more than prey for sport. A man who expected nothing but the best of Jaune and wouldn't stop until it was drawn out. A man who chastised every unneeded risk or mistake. Just like every time, the boy could do nothing but listen.

" _I've vaguely understood what happened and your reasoning for fighting the White Fang, so I won't fault you. Saving the Schnee heiress was the right thing to do. However, I greatly fear this will paint a target on your back. How many people saw your face?"_

Jaune flexed his fingers and found his aura had successfully healed his right arm. There was still a dull stiffness, but no remnant of pain. With a low grunt of effort, he slid the arm out of its sling and raised his index finger.

" _Only one? Did they get a good look?"_

" _Yes,"_ Jaune signed out with his right hand.

" _I'm guessing it was the one that did this to you?"_

" _Yes."_

" _To have bested you, then they must have been well beyond the standard Fang rubbish. This isn't good."_

As soon as Jaune hand use of either his voice or left arm, he'd explain that Ice Cream most likely was not a member of the White Fang. It was clear – at least from what he and Yang saw from the roof of the warehouse, that Ice Cream and Roman knew each other, so they were likely a pair. Although, since Torchwick was most likely working with the White Fang – unless last night was a one-time thing – his identity would still be at risk. The Fang didn't like loose ends.

" _I don't feel comfortable with you staying in a hotel until Beacon starts. Not anymore. I'll probably stay until classes start."_

The Hunter-in-training felt like his father may be overreacting a bit, but he wouldn't question it. Jonathan was a professional and knew more about this than himself. His dad let out a pent-up sigh, looking far older than usual.

" _You'll never know how much I worry Jaune. If I live to see you have children, then I'll be able to laugh at the look of understanding you'll have. You know for a fact I never wanted any of you to be huntsmen or huntress. It's why I trained you the way I did. Just... be careful, and more than anything, remember Heroes don't exist, so don't try to be one."_

/-/

"Well, that is quite the story Ms. Xiao-Long. Is there anything else you need to add?" The Headmaster sipped a bit of his coffee and continued to stare down the young women in the hospital bed. The VPD members had written down everything Yang had told them, which was an amazingly detailed account. It was rare students – soon to be students – got into so much mischief before Beacon even started, but it sure wasn't a first. Now, saving a billionaire Heiress from an international terrorist group and wanted criminal? That might be a first.

"That's all professor, well it's all I know anyway. I'm not sure what Jaune got into after he and I split up."

Ozpin smiled kindly. "Thank you, we'll be sure to check in with Mr. Arc tomorrow and get his account. If that is all, then I'll be taking my leave. I'm sure your family is eager to see you."

Glynda had notified the Headmaster that Tai and Ruby were waiting downstairs a few minutes ago. It was standard protocol that parents/guardians preferably not be present when asking a minor to recount an event since it was probable they would lie to avoid punishment or the sort.

"Um, actually Professor, can you stay a bit longer? I have some questions about Beacon."

The gray-haired man raised an eyebrow but nodded his head in allowance before turning and telling the VPD members they could go. After the two uniformed officers closed the door and walked away, Yang spoke again.

"I… actually needed to tell you something." Spoke Yang, rubbing her hair with a nervous expression. "Can you keep this between us?"

"Of course."

"I'm pretty sure the VPD is compromised. I'm not sure who or how many, but the only reason Torchwick knew about the convoy from Atlas was because of being tipped off by someone in the system. I heard the White Fang members say it along with their plan… but I thought telling those officers might be a bad idea."

Ozpin's eyes narrowed at the information. "I see. That is a very serious accusation Ms. Xiao-Long. Very serious indeed."

"You think I'm lying?"

"No."

Then Ozpin turned around and head to the door, placing a hand on the handle. "Is there any other information that couldn't be spoken in front of them?"

"No sir."

"Good. I look forward to seeing you at Beacon next week." The Headmaster then walked from the room and shut the door, leaning on his cane more than usual. It seemed he'd have to be proactive for this little White Fang problem. Something… something was not right. Pulling out his scroll, he punched in a message to a trusted ally. The reply was near instant.

 _Already on the way with Specialist Schnee. I'm glad you've finally decided to see things my way, old friend. We can talk more once I land._

Feeling far older than normal, Ozpin slide the scroll back into his jacket pocket and continued down the hallway, deciding to take the elevator instead of the stairs despite being on the second floor. As the automatic doors closed, he let out a labored breath. What Yang told him had not been particularly new news. In fact, it was somewhat expected that the VPD had traces of corruption, just like any organization. However, it hardly ever resulted in something like this because often, criminals attempted to maintain some level of discretion.

Stranger still, Roman Torchwick hardly ever – no – _never_ did anything to raise red flags on his Clockwork Empire, which was nigh exclusively black market dealings. Kidnappings? Joining arms with terrorists? It made less than zero sense logically speaking. Roman was still out and about in the streets precisely because he tied loose ends, never got his hands dirty, knew people, and knew the law. All things that had gone out the window last night.

The more one thought of it, the more it screamed of an outside force. An invisible hand lingering just outside of view. To base such suspicion on a single event may seem a bit brash, however, despite Remnant making no sense at times, patterns still existed and this situation fit the pattern like a square block being forced into a circular hole.

The ding of the doors opening brought Ozpin back from his moment of thought. Looking up, he made eye contact with one his most trusted companions, Glynda Goodwitch. The normalcy surrounding her brought a small smile to his lips.

"Hello, Glynda. I didn't expect the questioning of Ms. Schnee to end so early. In fact, I barely expected her to wake up today."

The Deputy Headmistress, who clearly hadn't gotten any sleep or coffee, nodded at the assumption. "Yes, it would appear Ms. Schnee was endowed with as much gumption as her sister. She woke up promptly at seven, went through what I assume are her morning rituals and then gave a detailed outline of everything she remembered."

Ozpin raised a questioning eyebrow as he and Glynda walked through the lobby and out the Hospital doors. "Were there gaps in her recollection?"

"Yes. As expected, she has no memory of in-between the time when her Bullhead was shot down and impact. Only, and I quote "I felt a great jolt and then found myself being woken up by Sinbad." Ms. Schnee also described her fight with the various White Fang militia as "a blur.'"

"Repressed memory," asked the professor as he and his assistant stepped into a waiting unmarked vehicle. The metallic black paint and tinted windows, however, basically screamed VPD.

"Maybe. It seems a bit too early to tell, however, it is notable that she vomited quite a bit upon waking up and though tried to hide it, the poor girl was riddled with shakes. Of course, I asked but was only met with firm resistance and pleas to drop the subject. I believe counseling will be in order."

"Noted. You'll be happy to know Roman Torchwick learned of Weiss Schnee's landing through contacts in the VPD. Very high ranking contacts to be sure."

Glynda, acting very uncharacteristically, ran a hand under her glasses to rub at the tired eyes beneath before running a hand through her tied up blond locks. "I'm getting entirely too old for this."

Ozpin chuckled. "How do you think I feel then? Fear not, however, I've contacted James and he is already on his way to save us from utter annihilation. Though, I told him to leave the warships at home for now."

"I'd be remiss to say I wasn't expecting him to make tracks to Vale after the attack," commented the Deputy Headmistress dryly. "In all honesty, I'm surprised he didn't develop an instant transportation device."

After a brief chuckling fit, Glynda spoke again. "Where is Qrow? I know he went to visit his niece in the hospital."

"He isn't leaving Vale for the time being if that is what you're asking."

"Is that wise?"

Ozpin didn't answer, instead choosing to look out the window and stare at the gray colored buildings whooshing by outside the window.

/-/

Ruby Rose enjoyed a good story. It was one of the reasons the ride to Vale had been so enjoyable. Jaune's father was a great storyteller and had as many stories as there were pages in his journal. She'd have listened forever if not for the fact the girl was also excited to see her sister. Yang didn't give all the details in her message, but the story sounded amazing, so much so she was almost upset they didn't invite her. Almost being the key word. Despite how fun it seemed, the fact Yang ended up in the hospital was more than enough proof she'd bitten off more than she could chew this time. A fact Ruby wouldn't let her sister forget.

"Rubes, it's kind of inappropriate to hit people already in the hospital," exclaimed Yang, as the Reaper's tiny fist bounced Yang's broad shoulders. Ruby pouted, seeing that her most extreme form of punishment was having no effect.

"Well, it's even less appropriate to go fight criminals without telling me first." Replied Ruby, continuing her barrage of ineffective punches util Tai put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back.

"I think she's had enough. Do you concede Yang?"

Yang put a hand on her forehead and smacked the sheets as if tapping out in a fight. "Yes, yes. Have mercy, Rubes, I'm not sure how much more I can take."

The red themed sister felt a smile coming on. "Really?" It seemed her punishment had blossomed some results after all. Must be all the milk she'd drank before coming here. "Well, good. Don't go off on your own again like that without telling us."

The golden-haired girl crossed her arms but didn't say anything else. Tai stepped forward, taking Ruby's place near the bed. "I'm really glad you are safe Yang, but what the heck were you thinking? Why, what was the reason for all of this? Don't say just for a nice stroll around Vale."

Ruby looked at her father, noticing a slight edge in his voice. On the way to the hospital, he and Jonathan had been joking with each other the whole time, but now all traces of humor were gone. "Ruby, could you give me and your sister a minute? I'm pretty sure I saw fresh cookies being baked in the cafeteria."

She didn't really want to leave Yang after waiting to see her the whole ride over, but Ruby could sense the tension in the air and decided leaving would be for the best. Yang looked a bit worried but that was normal, seeing as she hated being chewed out by their dad.

"Um, okay. I'll be back."

Ruby left the room, closing the door softly behind her. Truth be told, she wasn't in the mood for cookies, not really. It didn't mean she would pass on the opportunity to retrieve some, however. The trip to the cafeteria was uneventful, though it wasn't like she expected it to be otherwise. The only thing noticeable was how adorable the staff thought she was before proceeding to give her all the cookies she wanted.

 _Heh, and Yang says I don't have her charm._

The girl would have gone back upstairs but saw Jonathan carrying a tray of food across the room and decided to say hi. Knowing her dad and Yang, they were probably still going at it. Especially if her sister thought she was right.

"Hello, Mr. Arc."

The large man looked down at her and his face immediately broke into a wide smile. "Hello, little Ruby, I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon. Is your sister still being questioned right now?" Jonathan asked in a booming voice. She shook her head, walking alongside the Hunter towards the elevator.

"Nope. My dad asked me to leave the room for a minute."

Jonathan's face took on one of understanding bordering on nostalgia. "Hmm, the old leave the room for a minute trick. Yep, I've used it myself when I needed to speak with one of my children alone, more often than not about something they did wrong. I'm guessing Tai wasn't happy about this whole incident?"

"No, I guess not," replied Ruby, putting a cookie into her mouth. Jaune's father giggled, hitting the elevator button with his free hand. "Oh, how is Jaune doing by the way?"

"Jaune?" The two stepped into the elevator and the Hunter pressed the button for level four. "He's alright. A little worse for wear than I thought, but managing. Right now, a nurse is putting cream on his face burns and checking out his throat. He's already managed to somewhat fix his fractured arm through Aura channeling, but it's a slow process."

The elevator door dinged open and Jonathan stepped out. Ruby decided to it was about time to head back to the room, the argument probably being somewhat finished by now. "Well, tell him I said hey and I'll be looking for him at Beacon."

"Will do."

Then the doors closed once again and Ruby rode down to the second floor, finishing off another cookie from her armful. The hallway was completely silent and so was the walk to the door, but just as Ruby placed a hand on the door handle, the sound of Tai's voice could be heard.

"The means don't justify the ends, Yang! The fact you were able to save that girl doesn't change the reason you put your life on the line, in the beginning, was for information on Raven!"

"But-"

"No. No this is my fault." Ruby hand slowly let go of the door knob, nearly quivering at how defeated her dad sounded from behind the wooden door. "I was a bad husband and an even worse father."

"Dad that is-"

"Don't Yang. Just don't. You're going to be going off to Beacon and I've put this off long enough. It' time I told you about your mother."

/-/

"I'm fine."

She didn't sound convincing, not even to herself. Soon after the Huntress left her hotel room, Weiss' façade quickly began to crack and dissolve into nothing. She attempted to boil up a pot of tea, but her hands shook so violently that Weiss soon gave up the endeavor and decided to sit down instead. The longer she sat the shallower her breathing became. Sweat filmed over her brow.

The entire hotel had been bought out and the entrances were being protected by around the clock security, of that Weiss had been made assured by Huntress Goodwitch. That assurance did little to stop the girl from jumping each time there was a creak within her room.

" _I'm sorry."_

Sitting on the edge of the hotel bed, Weiss finally broke down completely. The onset of the tears was immediate and bordered on violent. The large room echoed the sound of sobbing to a near-deafening level. Weiss' hands shook with such hysteria that she couldn't even wipe away the moisture and attempt to maintain some level of dignity.

 _Dignity? Dignity?! A Hunter died because of me. I'm as bad as the White Fang._

If she had only been stronger, only able to hold out just a bit longer. But instead, she had let herself become distracted by the sight of blood…

The heiress' thoughts blanked for a second as she relived the memory of thrusting her blade through flesh and bone, tearing internal organs apart with a single move, killing men dead on the spot because she had no idea if they had their aura unlocked or not. Removing the blade and hearing the _squelch_ of metal sliding between flesh while blood splashed out and stained her clothing.

The memory twisted and flipped her stomach, sending Weiss back to the bathroom to vomit up anything that was left in her already empty stomach. Even after she was done, the girl didn't move from her spot at the toilet bowl rim, not possessing the strength or will to stand again. Tears still rolled down her cheeks in continuous rivers of salty liquid, though she didn't even attempt to wipe them away. Right now, she was not Weiss Schnee, the girl who strived for perfection. Right now, she was simply a broken failure.

A familiar buzz sounded from the other room, an indication that Winter was attempting to contact her once again. She wanted to answer, but how could she appear before her sister like this. A tear stained, retching, bewildered mess. Weiss doubted, no, she _knew_ Winter would treat her with compassion, speak softly that everything would be okay, and look upon her with only accepting love.

But what if Winter secretly viewed her as less for her weakness. She'd never show it and Weiss would never know, but there was always the possibility. And it was the possibility which stayed her hand with each call, but now it was growing unbearable.

With the grace of a drunk Ursa, she stood from her position and hobbled into the main bedroom of the penthouse. She sat down on the end of the bed and took the scroll from the nightstand, hands still quivering. After managing to take a deep breath after many shallow ones, she hit the call back button. It only rang once before there was an answer.

"Hello… sister."

/-/

Night had fallen over the city of Vale. Many who led normal lives were most likely settling in for a good sleep.

For Roman, however, he was currently tenser than he'd been in many years. Despite attempting any level of composure, he apparently developed a nervous tick within the last 18 hours that caused him to look at his dormant scroll, then to the large bay doors of the abandoned Bullhead repair building, then back to his scroll. He slowly chewed at the end of the cigar in his mouth, occasionally puffing out a cloud or two of smoke.

"Please call me back, Saul…"

The red-haired criminal mastermind didn't even look up when the sound of glass breaking filled the area. A moment later, his faithful companion appeared from seemingly thin air. Her face was twisted into something that vaguely resembled fear. Roman could barely tell because of how rare it was to see such an expression even cross her features for a second. He already knew what it meant. It wasn't even a surprise when the bay doors creaked open and in walked his soon to be murderer.

The White Fang that was milling inside of the warehouse quickly found somewhere else to be when _she_ walked in. Heat comparable to the sun swirled around the ebony haired beauty as if it had a life of its own. With each footstep, the concrete floor turned to glass under her black heels. When Roman finally did look up from his hunched position at the table, he met the eyes met with Cinders. The usually golden pupils now blazed with such rage that they matched the color of her crimson colored dress, which had flames leaping out at the ends.

Roman Torchwick, despite his implicate desire to dig a ten-foot hole and bury himself in it, stood and faced the enraged women, keeping his face natural in the face of her overwhelming aura. It was like competing in a staring contest with the sun, one that he lost when sweat dripping from his brow caused Roman to blink. As she came to a stop less than three feet away from him, the criminal believed himself to be melting.

"He-"

Cinder raised her hand, causing Roman's jaw to click shut faster than a spring-loaded trap. "Don't Roman. I'm worried if you say one more word I will incinerate you until only ash remains."

The ginger saw Neo flinch a bit at the words, ready to defend her partner if necessary. He raised his hand in a way that was barely noticeable, but Neo caught it and the message was clear. _Stand down._ Roman knew he was useful. It was the only reason he was alive, so there shouldn't be a reason to have to fight.

Cinder placed a hand on her temple and slowly massaged it, her anger visibly being restrained. "I will give you five minutes to explain yourself."

It was more than enough time. "There was a leak of information. A major one at that. There were two Hunters of unknown origin at the area and I have a feeling they were the ones who sabotaged the Stealth Tiger as well…"

The criminal cringed at the thought of the Stealth Tiger. It had been a one of a kind asset. Getting another would be impossible and acquiring any illegal goods from Atlas. They would be on high alert now.

"They were young Hunters, probably only just graduated from Beacon. The girl I fought looked like she might be from Mistral, though. Neo fought a boy who seemed a bit older apparently, but they were both blond. Maybe siblings…? I don't know yet, but I will once Saul calls me back."

 _Unless Saul was discovered._ Honestly, if that was the case then Roman would probably need to start working out an escape plan to Mistral in the very near future. Saul had been his primary contact in the VPD for years now, a future investment of sorts. Saul had been one of the first contacts in Roman's expansive list and used to be a lawyer for criminals, personally getting Roman out of jail more than a couple of times. Torchwick would even go so far as to say they had become friends, even being present at the man's wedding. Eventually, however, when it was discovered there was a baby on the way, Saul quit the criminal business of bailing out thieves and attempted faded into obscurity within the VPD. Attempted being the key word.

Since "going straight" Saul has become somewhat of a legend in the police force, solving over thirty cases and locking away people he might have once defended. Of course, this brought all sort of enemies knocking at his door, all which who were foolish enough to make attempts on his family disappeared without so much as a trace. Roman even playing a part in this.

" _I can't thank you enough for this Alex."_

" _I go by Roman now; you know that Saul. And yeah, I guess you do owe me, huh?"_

"… _Let's see, I think I've known you long enough to know what value most."_

" _What's that? Money?"_

" _No. Information."_

" _What about walking the straight and narrow?"_

" _I lost my moral compass a long time ago…"_

"Is that all you know?" Cinder's voice was much more controlled now and the temperature in the building noticeably cooled. The rage in her eyes did not disappear.

"Give me 48 hours and I'll know why this happened. I'll know who to silence. I swear."

"How do you know this?"

"My contact will call back. He always does."

"You better pray to whatever god you believe in that he does. This little incident has caused far more problems than your brain can fathom and if I find out you have lied to me about this matter, you _will_ cease to be an asset and you _will_ die. Understand?"

Roman pulled at his white overcoat, straightening out the wrinkles. "Yes."

Cinder lifted a hand and placed it on Roman's cheek with loving gentleness, a stark contrast to the heat emitting off her fingertips. A weaker man would have flinched away, or at least cringed in pain. Roman did neither, the only sign he even registered pain was the fact that he continuously clenched and unclenched his fist. The brunette held contact for a few more seconds before cutting the contact, now smiling for the first time since he had arrived.

"Good. Also, see to it that the Hunters responsible for this are located and killed."

Out of the corner from his eye, Roman saw Neo stand a good bit straighter at this. "Yes, that will be no problem Cinder."

"It would be troubling if it was." Replied Cinder in an almost offhanded comment. She breathed out a sigh before turning around. "I must go, but if I'm forced to come back before planned… it won't be nearly this tame." Then the half Maiden stalked off without another word, disappearing as she left the warehouse. How Cinder got here and how she would leave was a mystery, but it hardly mattered. Roman wouldn't be surprised if the demon women could fly or travel with wormholes.

Roman let out a breath he didn't he'd been holding. It came out ragged and tired, perfectly reflecting how his entire body felt at that moment. Despite his aura having healed his wounds from yesterday, the fatigue seemed to have had the inverse effect. Right now, Roman doubted he could pick up Melodic Cudgel without some bit of struggle.

He turned to see Neo looking at him with an impassive expression. Well, it would have been an impassive expression, but Roman knew his partner too well. The encounter had troubled her more than she'd let on or admit. So, for that reason, he didn't even mention it.

Instead, Roman reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew his golden box of cigars. The action of biting into the rolled-up paper and lighting the end was nearly cathartic on its own, so by the time he had finished puffing out smoke, his muscles had relaxed once again. Looking back over to Neapolitan, Roman did something he hadn't done in a long time.

"Hey." He called, getting Neo's attention. He removed the cigar from between his lips and offered it to his shorter counterpart. She looked up at him with a curious look before taking the item in her petite hands and bringing it to her lips, taking a deep drag before puffing out a small cloud of smoke. Neo then offered it back to Roman, who took a few small puffs. They passed it back and forth, sharing the Vacuo rolled cigar until there was nothing left except for a smoking butt. Roman placed it on the ashtray and regarded his partner in crime. Her face was still impassive, but the underlying tension seemed to have been melded way.

"You good?"

The women looked up at him and nodded meekly. Then she pointed at him as if to ask the same question.

"Yeah. I'm alright. We're going to be fine."

/-/

" _And you're all set."_ Signed out the short-haired doctor, lowering her clipboard. _"Color me impressed."_

Jaune didn't know if it was a compliment or not, but he decided to take it as one. What he found impressive was the fact a lot of the staff were capable of sign language. However, seeing that this was one of the top Hospitals in Vale, it was not really all surprising.

" _Thank you,"_ signed Jaune in kind. He pushed off the bed and landed on his feet, feeling one hundred percent. Well, technically his aura was at three percent and there was still a lot of stiffness in his joints and the torso region where Ice Cream's heel driven into his stomach suffered from mild irritation, but other than that he was fully healed. _"Am I allowed to leave now?"_

" _Yes. I wish you luck on your future endeavors, Mr. Hunter-in-training."_ She winked at him before sashaying away. Jaune, who was never one to judge based on age, found his eyes following her on the way without his brain's consent. Just one of the few perks that came with being a Hunter or even a Hunter in training. Near automatic sex appeal to civilians. The fact he was deaf and socially awkward kind of dampened it a little, but that was fine.

Jaune, now back in regular attire, reached for his scroll and turned it on. He was really lucky the device has not been broken or fried in the battle last night, getting a new one would have been a pretty big inconvenience. As soon as it booted up, the scroll began to buzz uncontrollably with unread messages.

 _-Hey, you okay?_

 _-Okay, message me when you get out._

 _-Oh, my dad met your dad, apparently. O_o_

 _-Just message me when you get out!_

 _-Hi! This Ruby! Hope you well Jaune!_

 _-Sorry about that, Ruby got a hold of my scroll. Just make sure to tell me when you get let out._

Jeez. This almost worse than when his sisters became concerned. Doing as he was told, Jaune sent Yang a message that he had gotten out the hospital. She was most likely feeling guilty about being partially responsible for him being in the hospital, though Jaune didn't really see it like that. Still, it felt nice to know she cared to some extent.

The teen left the small hospital room and walked to the elevator, riding three levels down to the waiting area where his father was wrestling with a vending machine. Jaune shook his head and chuckled, choosing to just accept the randomness.

"Did it eat your lien?"

Jonathan turned around and smiled at seeing his son. He let go of the food dispenser for a second to sign out an answer. _"It sure did and my innate sense of justice cannot let it slide."_

Jaune looked to the security guard sitting near the door, who seemed to be either oblivious to his father's disturbance or didn't feel up to challenging a man who could wield a sword larger than most people. "So, how are you going to explain the hospital bill to mom?"

Jonathan jumped with glee as his chocolatey treat was finally released from the evil machine. He turned back to his only son and smiled, shaking his head slightly. _"That's the best part son. I used your credit card so that she wouldn't find out."_

 _Wait, what?_

" _That's the cost of my silence about this whole thing. You bang yourself up and you pay for your own bill. Self-sufficiency and what not."_

Jaune's mouth fell agape, his head cocking to the side. It wasn't completely unexpected, seeing as his father had always been particularly adamant about being self-reliant. Of course, this was mostly just to offset Jaune's disability, though Jonathan would _never_ actually say it aloud. The Hunter-in-training would have said more but was interrupted by his scroll buzzing. Distracting himself from the fact he was most likely in debt, Jaune pulled out his scroll to see who it was. The message was only three words long and followed by directions to all-night café.

 _Can we meet?_

"Hey dad, can you go to the hotel without me, there is someone I have to see someone real quick."

 _/-/_

Yang looked at the time on her scroll for the eight time, now convinced that Jaune had gotten himself lost within the streets of Vale. It was very late at night and he didn't exactly know his way around. The poor guy could have easily got lost. Or maybe the White Fang put a hit out on him! Anyth-

"You know, the last time I got invited to a café I ended up in the hospital."

The blond looked up from her internal distress to see Jaune, hoodie and all. He looked alright, despite the injuries he'd suffered. On the other side, Yang's nose despite having healed still suffered from a slight purplish discoloration. One that if mentioned would mean death for the person who brought it up.

"It's good to see you, Jaune. I-"

"Hey Yang, it's kinda dark in here. Think you could text me instead?" Oh right. It was so easily to forget he was deaf, especially when Jaune himself hardly acknowledged it. Yang smiled and nodded, fine with making this conversation easier on him. She typed rather slow, but the boy in front of her seemed perfectly fine with waiting.

 _I'm glad you are okay, Jaune. I just want to say sorry for getting you involved in the first place._

Jaune looked up at Yang before smiling and shaking his head.

 _I don't go that easily. Plus, I'm happy I came with you, otherwise, the Heiress of the Schnee Dust Company might have been kidnapped. The way I see it, fate played a part. Anyway, it was a good warm up before Initiation._

Yang giggled a bit.

 _Beacon will seem boring after yesterday. By the way, did you ever get to heiress? I asked Ozpin but he didn't know either, or wouldn't say._

Jaune shrugged, then winced a bit at the movement. It seemed he was still somewhat injured after all. "I was forced to intercept one of the fighters and never got to her. However, she was fighting along a Huntsmen with some level of skill from what I saw. Did you clear out the White Fang on your own until help arrived then?"

 _No, I was knocked out as well. I fought Roman Torchwick and lost pretty bad._

Yang recalled with some bit of embarrassment how easily he was able to put her down, matching anger with calm efficiency. Maybe it was a lesson she could learn from. Apparently, Jaune thought the same thing.

"Well if you learned something from it and lived to fight another day, it's fine." Replied Jaune, speaking as if from experience. The statement was one Yang would take to heart, seeing as this was her first major lost in… well forever.

 _You know, you never did finish your story._

Jaune's scanned over his scroll and chuckled a bit, a small blush coating his cheeks. "I guess I didn't. Well, where did I leave off again?"

 _Townsfolk huddled in the Town hall._

"Right." Jaune breath out pent up breath before continuing. "Well like I had said, my father and I were tasked with looking for the unknown Grimm picking off civilians. The attacks only happened at night, so we were patrolling different sections of town to cover space and to act as bait. The Grimm wouldn't attack anyone in a group or a strong looking pair."

 _This Grimm sounds really smart._

"Yeah, it was. I finally did spot the bastard, but upon seeing it was just Beowolf, I got cocky and chased it without calling for my dad first. Even let it lure me out of the town walls. Once I got close, I finally noticed that this particular Beowolf was bigger than an Ursa Major. Learned two moments later it was faster than a speeding Boarbatusk as well. When I went to attack it, the Grimm _feinted._ It was like fighting another Huntsman."

Jaune paused for a moment, clenching his fist at the memory. "It toiled with me in a way no Grimm should have the intelligence to do. The thing must have been hundreds of years old to have developed into what it was. Maybe I could have put up a better fight, but seeing Grimm so evolved from its mindless contemporaries left me a nervous wreck. Like some sort of nightmare come to life… it reminded me of-"

The Hunter-in-training stopped himself, running a hand through his thick hair. "Anyway, I was left bloodied on the ground by the end of it. Nearly dead at the hands of a simple Beowolf had my dad not found me and killed the thing." Jaune took a breath. "I'm glad it happened, though. It left scars that would last for years and a lesson that would last a lifetime. Never underestimate your opponent. Ever."

Yang nodded at the statement. The talk with her father earlier that day had left her with a slightly different frame of mind than before. Her brashness and arrogance… it was holding her back. Something she was beginning to see as she pondered it more. With a small smile, she typed a message to the boy in front of her.

 _Hey, Jaune, let's be teammates._

* * *

 **A/N: And another chapter finished. This is officially the end of the Little Yellow Dragon Mini Arc. For a first Arc I thought it was pretty good, but tell me what you thought. Also, for those interested, I have written out a back story for Roman and Neo. That will most likely be its own separate Arc of undetermined length later on. Also if you haven't noticed, I've basically thrown canon out the window, so don't expect some things from the show to happen here. Hope you enjoyed.**

 **Next Chapter: Beacon**


	5. Beacon

Chapter 5: Beacon

Beta: Shad0wReaper133

* * *

The scent of nutmeg and honey filled the small hotel kitchen with a sweet odor, one which contrasted greatly with the mood of the one cooking. It wasn't like Weiss disliked cooking, quite the opposite, in fact, seeing as her presence in a kitchen always upset her father. It was the same reason Weiss would keep her room immaculate and leave the hired help with nothing to do.

Today she usually would have ordered room service and been off, this was the first day of Beacon after all. However, she currently was entertaining an important guest and room service just simply wouldn't do in this situation. Not to mention she didn't trust the staff. There was a Faunus among them.

"It's almost done," Weiss called out to her sister.

Winter didn't respond verbally, instead choosing to walk from the adjacent room into the kitchen area. She was wearing a white, oversized t-shirt with only panties underneath and red knee length socks. It was a distant far cry from the usual military uniform, but it was likely no coincidence. The older sister had been in nurture mode since arriving a few days ago and seeing firsthand the state Weiss was in. She'd discarded of her uniform the moment she noticed it might remind Weiss of the incident, cooked for her little sister when she expressed concerns about being poisoned and even slept in the same bed as her – an occurrence that hadn't happened for years now – to cut down on the intensity of the nightmares.

"It looks very appetizing. Well done."

The Huntress-in-training beamed at the compliment, despite how trivial it would seem to another. Winter never said something she didn't mean and gave out adoration sparingly, which made it all the more special. Weiss tensed for half a second as a cool hand rested on her shoulder, but quickly recovered and relaxed.

 _It's just Winter._

Weiss turned off the burner and proceeded to the last step of filling the crepes. It felt good to use her hands in this way. It felt good to move, period. Thinking back on the last few days, she'd been a disgrace. Crying, trembling, vomiting, allowing Winter to nearly take care of her hand and foot. Nothing befitting of the Schnee name. Though her sister had assured Weiss this was the "normal" healing process for mental trauma.

"I want to see you handle Myrtenaster before you head to Beacon," spoke Winter in a loving but firm voice. "You've been avoiding even looking at your weapon since the incident and I want to see with my own eyes if you can still hold it."

It was a threat. Not a clearly stated threat, but the words were delivered with a hidden message underneath. _It's just a weapon._ _ **My**_ _weapon. Nothing to be afraid of. If anything, it should be comforting seeing as it…saved my…life…_

The image of Sinbad speaking his last words flashed before Weiss' eyes, causing her stop pouring filling into the breakfast pastry for a moment. Her mask, the one she wore for the public and even family had cracks in it. For anyone who knew Weiss, the chinks in the metaphorical armor might as well have been gaping holes. She wouldn't be able to fool Winter if holding Myrtenaster felt wrong. Taking a deep breath, she finished preparing breakfast and brought both plates to the small dining table.

Winter sat down opposite of her sister and began eating in silence. Back in Atlas, it was rare there was any conversation at the dinner table when her father actually had time to eat with them. Mother came to the table in a tranquilized haze, muted out most conversation, and focused more on the volume of her wine glass than she did the children. When Jacques managed to find time to eat with them, it would often lead to him ranting about the White Fang, inflation in the Dust market, Faunus in general, Weiss' life choices, or a mixture of all four. By now, eating in silence had become a habit for both girls.

"So," Weiss was the first to break the silence. "You still haven't told me how you're able to stay in Vale for so long. You must have missed many assignments."

Weiss was aware her sister had recently become a specialist in the Atlas military, which meant working directly under General Ironwood. The position was an honored one and came with many more responsibilities. Yet during the days, Winter had only been contacted one or two times. More than that, Winter had only left the hotel once and hadn't taken less than an hour.

The Specialist smiled warmly. "My presence was not implicitly needed these last couple of days. Plus, my sister's health is very important."

"So, you'll be leaving Atlas after I depart for Beacon?"

Winter didn't respond immediately. "Classified."

That was a little strange. Well, not really. Winter had always been very professional about the military aspect of her life. Weiss wasn't bothered in the slightest by the need for secrecy, but something about this time was different. The girl had assumed her older sister took time off to be here in Vale, which meant it was only logical she'd be on the next flight out once Weiss was safely in Beacon. However, the fact it was a classified led Weiss to believe this visit was more work related than initially thought.

"I see…" Weiss nibbled on a few her eggs before probing again. "I received a message from General Ironwood."

Winter looked up from her meal with idle interest. "Really now? Were you not expecting one from him?"

"No, I assumed I would. He's practically family anyway," answered Weiss. Winter nodded.

"How about Father. I realize you probably do not want to talk to him, especially not before heading to Beacon, but I assume he has tried to contact you."

Weiss signed, forcing down the annoyance at the current subject. "He's attempted contact."

The elder Schnee's eyes shown a glimmer of sadness, but it was gone as quick as it had appeared. It went unsaid that each attempt to talk to Weiss made by the SDC's president had gone unfulfilled. "Take heed little sister, if you continue with this self-isolationism you'll become more self-reliant than expected."

"I'm not sure what you mean. Anyway, I'm perfectly capable of becoming self-reliant if the need presents itself, dear sister."

Winter giggled at this. The sound was the chemical reaction between windchimes blown by a soft summer breeze and an angel's hum. "I swear, you become more like me every day."

Weiss flushed a bit and felt her irritation dissipate in an instant. To be compared with the sister she adored was a dream come true, but somehow, she didn't think the comment was intrinsically meant as a compliment. _What does she mean by that?_

"Well, it is nearly a quarter to ten and the airship to Beacon leaves at eleven. If you're done eating, I'd like to see you wield Myrtenaster."

Weiss looked down at her plate to find it was nearly empty, except for a few nibbles. "Yes, I'm ready."

"Good," replied Winter in an almost casual tone. "Because your opponent will be me."

/-/

"You sure you're going to be okay up there?"

The bookstore keeper's concern was almost funny, though the raven-haired girl didn't smile at the sentiment. She simply checked to make sure the bow was in place for a final time before walking from the back room of the store. "I'll be fine Tukson."

Tukson shook his head and followed Blake to the front, still clearly uneasy. "Well, I guess you're doing the right thing or at least attempting to do so. I'm just worried you might be doing this for the wrong reasons."

Blake paused and regarded the former White Fang member with a questioning glare. The gaze of her yellow pupils was piercing, however, it didn't falter Tukson in the slightest. "What's wrong with my reasoning? What's wrong with trying to bring peace to Faunus and Humans?"

The bookkeeper folded both arms and ducked under the counter, apparently searching for something. "There isn't anything wrong with it as a matter of fact. All I'm saying is I don't believe you've truly given up on the White Fang yet. Trust me, I understand the feeling."

Tukson reappeared from the counter with a moderately sized package in hand. "Hell, I still remember the days when your father-"

"Stop. Just… don't."

He sighed but did not push any further. With tension now replacing the dead conversation, Blake turned away from her friend and made way for the exit. _How dare he? I'm the only one attempting to bridge the gap between our two races and he dares to question my motives?_

"Hey Blake, catch."

The Huntress-in-training turned around just in time for the package Tukson threw to fall into her arms. Despite its relatively small size, it was surprisingly heavy. Blake looked at her comrade with a questioning raised eyebrow.

"Think of it as a going away present. Now get out of here, you'll scare away all my customers."

For the first time today, Blake actually cracked a smile. "I guess we couldn't have that," replied the girl with a hint of mirth before pushing opened the door and walking out. Not a second after walking past the threshold, the girl collided with a large unyielding object that might as well have been a brick wall. Past training coming to mind, she rolled backward and placed a hand on the handle of Gambol Shroud, ready to take on the White Fang operative no doubt sent by Adam.

"Excuse me, young lady, I wasn't looking where I was going."

Blake looked up to see a very large man staring down at her. His mass seemed much more fat than muscle, though she didn't doubt a punch from his meaty fist would hurt even with aura. He wore a strawberry pink dress shirt, which fit surprisingly well, to the point Blake assumed it must have been custom made. His pants were the shade of red wine and it matched well with his ocean blue oxford style shoes. The downright constipated look of the man's face was off-putting; it was impossible to tell if his skin was naturally the color of his shirt or if he was simply flushed at the moment.

While his height – which was no less than 6'11 – was certainly notable, what truly caught Blake's observation was the shining gold badge clipped to his belt and the gun holster on the left side of his chest. This was no White Fang operative. If not for him being a well-known target of the White Fang, Blake wouldn't have recognized him off the bat.

"Police Commissioner Freeman..." Breathed the former White Fang member, taking her hand away from the handle of Gambol Shroud. A racist this man might be, but it didn't mean he was going to attack her. Especially considering the bow was currently hiding her Faunus features. If Saul Freeman noticed she nearly attacked him, he hid it well. His gray eyes shown with nothing but kindness.

"I see my reputation proceeds me. Are you a friend of Tukson's? I doubt he would let you in otherwise considering it is still five minutes till opening."

 _Tukson knows the VCP Commissioner? But isn't Saul a well-known racist? This could be a trap, however. If he has come to know that Tukson was once a Fang member, he could be trying to sniff out any other former members and-_

"Saul? I didn't know you'd be coming so early."

Blake turned around to see her wolverine friend at the door with a grin, which was returned ten-fold by the Police Commissioner. "Yes, I have some business to attend to later, so I thought I'd stop by. Just so happened a ran into… your niece?"

Tukson laughed and ran a hand through hair. "No, this is just a daughter of an old friend. Her name is Blake."

Saul's eye twinkled. "I see. Well, I do wish you luck at Beacon, Blake. Give the Grimm Hell for me alright?"

Blake, who was beyond befuddled by this point numbly nodded. "Wait- how did you know about-"

"Oh, come now." Saul interrupted. "I'm nearly positive most young girls your age doesn't run around with bladed rifles on their back, not to mention Beacon's enrollment is beginning today. Why I think the station has gotten more phone calls about teenagers pulling out weapons on Bullheads in one week than the rest of year combined."

Tukson and Saul laughed a bit more before regaining composure. The large policeman reached down and picked up the black package Blake had dropped and handed it to her real gentle like. "I think you dropped this Blake."

She cautiously reached out and took the package back, as if it might bite her or explode. "Thank you. Well if you'll excuse me, I need to go."

"Quite. Can't be late on the first day can we?" The Commissioner winked as if there was some sort of inside joke happening between the two of them. It was simultaneously the one the most off-putting and charming gestures Blake had ever encountered.

"N-No we can't," muttered the girl before heading in the opposite direction. She could still hear Tukson and Saul chatting it up as she turned the corner and made her way to the airship port on the other end of town. Blake would get there a bit early, but that was hardly a problem. Yes, it was preferred that she would slip in among a crowd of other students and go unnoticed, but sitting alone in a corner would be just as effective.

 _I'll have to do a bit more research on Saul Freeman._

 _/-/_

Mr. Freeman watched as Blake rounded the corner and walked out of sight. He shook his head at how paranoid the seventeen-year-old had been and looked back at Tukson. "I almost thought she was really going to attack me for a second. Anyway, you going to let me in ol' friend?"

"Sure thing, Saul." The bookkeeper stepped aside and walked into the shop, the commissioner following close behind. The two walked past the counter and to the backroom, where more books were stacked haphazardly along the walls and floor. Past this room was a bedroom, which boosted a small twin sized bed, nightstand, more books, and a blue couch. Saul sat down on the couch while Tukson took the bed.

"So… I take it this is about what happened in the Commercial District?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Well," grunted Tukson, "The explosion and resulting fire was said to be caused by a vat of unstable liquid Dust accidentally being exposed to an electric current. I'm not saying it doesn't sound plausible; Hell, it most likely is part of the truth. Although, if that was the whole story, you most likely wouldn't be here."

"Well, I could just be here to pick up the book I ordered. Speaking of, has it arrived yet?"

The former lawyer loved to beat around the bush while causing others to cut to the chase. In all honesty, he got off on the frustration that would appear in their eyes. The wailing of the prosecutor when, despite overwhelming odds, he'd prove a guilty man innocent. He missed being the black knight of the courtroom.

"Get to the point."

"Fine, Fine," Saul huffed, disappointed he wouldn't be humored. "The fire that happened in the Commercial District was the result of a botched attack by the White Fang and Roman Torchwick to kidnap Weiss Schnee. That is all I can reveal, which is more than I should anyway."

"I see. So, what _do_ you need from me?"

"Well, as you can probably guess, this incident has caused quite the stir. Important people, very powerful people, have come to Vale. What I need from you is the location of White Fang hideouts. I don't need them right now, but do be looking into it in your spare time."

"I would have thought you'd have someone else who could give you that information."

"My current contacts are on a need to know basis, Tukson. You'd do well to remember where you sit in the grand scheme of things." The Commissioner spoke with far less good cheer than before. His face even went into a darker shade of red. Tukson laughed a bit and stood.

"Yes, how could I forget?" The ex-White Fang member left the bedroom and returned a moment later with a small package. "Also, your shipment did indeed arrive. I gotta ask, though, do you keep ordering because you need an alibi to come here or do you actually enjoy this book series?"

Saul rose from his seated position and winked, snatching the package from Tukson's hand in the process. "And why can't it be both?" The dark gray-haired man then made a beeline for the door, only stopping once he had a hand on the door handle. "I'll be seeing you, ol' friend. Oh, and make sure to flip the sign in the next fifteen seconds. Can't have the story opening late." Then the large man left.

The streets outside were slowly beginning to fill with people, the ten o'clock hour bringing in the breakfast rush to many of the local diners and coffee shops. A surprising amount of these people were teenagers carrying weapons, all walking towards the Bullhead port across town. It reminded Saul how he used to want to be a hero, but that dream died a very, very long time ago. Deciding to take the quickest route to the station, he ducked into a small alley that bypassed a few streets.

 _Something's not right._

Commissioner Freeman inched a left hand to the high caliber pistol currently going unused in his chest holster. The alley wasn't particularly dark, but it was still hard to make out shadows. There was someone at the end of the alley…and they were coming right for him.

"State your name."

They didn't.

Saul didn't wait to receive one either. Crouching low, he retrieved the bowie knife strapped to his ankle and prepared to attack. It would be a cold day in Hell when someone finally got the drop on Saul the "Freer of Man". As the shadow stepped into the light, he realized they were tiny. His own massive size dwarfing them completely. It was either a child or…

"Neo."

The small women smiled and gave him a flirtatious wink. It nearly made him roll his eyes, but Saul reigned in the reflex. If she was here, then it was most likely important. "What do you need Neapolitan? I gave Roman the information he needed."

Neo didn't respond. Instead, pulling forth a coal black scroll and tossing it to him. Upon catching the device, he found it was either one of the first or the first model of scroll invented. It almost seemed to be unfinished.

 _Smart man. I'd expect nothing less from Roman._

Older models of scrolls, specifically the first and second generation were supported by a different network than the common newer models. In fact, someone would need to have their own server up and running to connect with other people of the same model. It was a good trick, considering few knew about the underworld trick and the server was almost certainly rigged to go down if some unauthorized personnel got into it.

"Good deal. Hey, Roman didn't tell me who has him by the balls this time around. Think you could let your old buddy Saul in on it?"

Of course, Saul didn't expect an answer and Neo didn't give one. It was how this game of criminals and contacts worked. You never give away enough information to screw yourself over. It was the same reason he didn't tell Roman the names of the two Hunters-in-training who had thwarted the kidnapping. It was information only he and a few others had known about. If something happened to Yang Xiao Long or Jaune Arc, well, things might start pointing his direction. As far as he knew, it hadn't gotten out how Roman knew where the Schnee heiress would land, but surely suspicion would be on the higher ups of the Vale police force.

In response to his question, Neo merely winked and stepped back into the shadows followed by the light tinkling of glass breaking. Then, like she had appeared, she was gone without a trace. Saul chuckled a bit at nothing in particular and continued walking through the alley towards the Vale Police Department, which might as well have been a second home. As he walked up the stairs and into the building, he was greeted by everyone who noticed him. Saul waved to them all but did not stop to make conversation, instead, heading downstairs towards the basement.

At the bottom of the steps was two officers acting as guards at the door. When they recognized Saul, both men saluted. "He talking yet?"

"No sir."

"Have you given him the third degree?"

"Yes… but he has remained silent."

Saul nodded. With a hand motion, the two men moved out the way and allowed Freeman access to the door, which required a code to open. The Commissioner typed it in quickly and made his way through the threshold.

Inside the room was a large man sitting in the corner, a massive chain bolted into the wall was attached to his neck by an electrified collar. His hands were bound by handcuffs as well, just to make sure he would not be a threat. Of course, Saul wouldn't be scared even if the White Fang elite wasn't bound.

"Hello, Lieutenant Saw."

/-/

Weiss gripped the handle of Myrtenaster timidly, the confident pride usually found in her craft completely absent. A few yards away stood Winter, now completely fitted in her usual military uniform and with the business end of her saber pointed directly at Weiss. The elder of the Schnee sisters kept a completely neutral face, devoid of even a shred of compassion. It was a stark contrast to how she'd been not even 15 minutes ago.

The Hunter-in-training settled into a comfortable stance and lowered her center of gravity, summoning a glyph to appear beneath her feet. In all the years she'd been practicing with her rapier, Weiss had never been able to get a single hit on her older sister and today would be no different. Especially not with how uneasy her stomach got every time the sun glinted off of Myrtenaster. Even now, the weapon felt loose in her grip and the inside of her palms were sweating abnormally. Looking at the blade brought back unpleasant memories of metal tearing through flesh and bone.

"I'm ready when you are," Winter called out from across the hotel courtyard. Weiss nodded in response and swallowed the lump in her throat. It was just a spar. Nothing more. After a few more calming breaths, Weiss activated the glyph under her feet and rocketed towards her sister. In an instant, she was upon Winter – who had failed to react outwardly yet.

Deciding to take the risk of a straightforward approach, Weiss lowered her center of gravity and leveled Myrtenaster's blade with Winter's chest. Time seemingly slowed as she thrust forward and the realization came that Winter was not going to move out the way. For some reason the thought terrified her – the image of blood and gore came back with such intensity it caused the girl to recoil and retreat. Using three glyphs, Weiss widened the space between Winter until back at the starting distance.

"I knew it."

In a flash of glyph summoned Nevermores, Winter appeared in front of Weiss. She could have attacked, of course she could have, but instead waited to gauge Weiss' reaction. As somewhat expected, Weiss retreated again instead of attempting to attack or even take a defensive position. This happened one more time before Winter sighed in frustration and sheathed her saber in its position on her belt.

"This is a waste of time. You've clearly lost your nerve to fight as I suspected. I have no choice but to revoke my support of your entrance into Beacon."

This got Weiss' attention immediately. "Bu-"

"No buts. If you can't even wield a weapon without nearly vomiting, then how will you pass Initiation, much less succeeding in Beacon. I'm sorry, but it is for the best. Maybe y-"

" _No."_

Winter raised an eyebrow and looked Weiss directly in the eye. "Come again?" _Come on Weiss, prove me wrong!_

"I said… **NO!** " The younger of the Schnee sisters returned Winter's gaze with an intensity rarely displayed. It was almost as if her eyes were alight with fire. "I've been through too much to let it end here. Don't make it all for nothing!"

Winter smirked. This was the sister she'd grown up with. "Then fight me."

And fight she did. Weiss charged with newfound vigor and performed a perfectly formed thrust with Myrtenaster, one that Winter was forced to dodge so as to avoid injury. However, she nearly lost her balance because of a glyph below her feet which caused Winter to move faster than intended.

 _Clever move little sister._

Winter drew her blade to block another thrust, this one aimed just below her ribcage. Weiss attempted to retreat after the unsuccessful attack, but her back hit something as solid as stone. With no time to retreat to the side, Weiss took a defensive stance, attempting to parry Winters downward slash aimed at her midsection. When the two blades clashed, the younger of the two quickly felt the difference in strength. It took all Weiss had to redirect the steel that came dangerously close to her face.

Realizing she probably wouldn't be able to deflect such a blow again, Weiss leaped to the side, only to hit a seemingly invisible wall. By this time, however, she had figured out what these barriers truly were. The nearly transparent glyphs walling her into a corner could only be the work of Winter, especially considering how solid they were. If the Specialist wanted, she could summon Grimm from all sides and most likely end the fight, however, Weiss doubted she would. Winter had effectively rendered retreat non-optional, the only way left to go was forward. The young heiress gritted her teeth at the taste of bile in her mouth and summoned a large glyph under feet, this one pulsating yellow instead of blue.

 _Time dilation. Impressive._

Winter took a step back as Weiss once again went on the offensive and unleashed a flurry of quick thrust _._ Parrying each strike was a simple matter for the specialist, who perfectly swatted away each attack while probing Weiss' defenses at the same time. It was nearly time to finish this spar, seeing that Winter now knew all she needed too. Despite the traumatic event of watching another Hunter die and taking multiple lives, her sister could still fight. Although, something was wrong.

The blade of Myrtenaster continued to increase in speed until it became a complete blur, striking with power Winter didn't even know Wiess possessed. The older women looked closely at her sister's sword arm while being pushed back and noticed the girl had formed five small glyphs around said arm, no doubt to increase the power behind each blow. It was a very innovative technique that Winter didn't expect Wiess to think of, much less put into action considering the stress it would put on the limb. However, if Weiss noticed any discomfort, she didn't show it.

To finally end the flurry of strikes and by extension the fight, Winter sheathed her blade and stepped into Weiss' guard all in one fluid motion. She caught the blade under her right armpit and used her left hand to backhand her little sister hard enough to break the girl's concentration. Weiss' glyphs dispersed and she lost grip on Myrtenaster's handle, letting the sword clatter to the ground. Weiss would have fallen to the ground as well, but Winter caught her and pulled the girl close.

Sparring with Weiss had always been a difficult affair, mostly because the Specialist hated to see her little sister in pain, which is why Winter usually strived to end the battle with one well-placed blow. Weiss had fought well, but the pained look on her face during the spar spoke volumes of how the White Fang kidnapping attempt had affected her.

"W-Winter... can I go to Beacon now?"

Weiss' voice resembled a fine china that could crack with the slightest tap. "Of course you can Weiss."

"I'm still not strong enough to hit you. Still not strong enough to save an-"

"Enough!"

Winter grabbed Weiss by both shoulders and forced her to look up. The roughness of the gesture was jarring, but it was the firm gaze of her sister that truly left her startled. "You have to listen to me. You are strong. When the lives you've taken weigh on your conscious to the point of sickness it means strength of character. Even though the battle brings up frightening memories you fought me with precision and power, which shows your strength of mind. You. Are. Strong. Weiss. Not because you're a Schnee, but because you are you."

Weiss, who held onto that damned pride like a lucky charm, kept composure. Though her voice still came out watery and fragile. "Really?"

Winter smiled and pulled her sister close. "Really. No one is perfect. Not me or anyone else. You were not physically strong enough to prevent Sinbad's death, but the only one who expected you to be is you. Maybe you weren't skilled enough to land nonfatal blows, but no one holds that against you either. Don't allow yourself to be tormented by things completely uncontrollable. Instead, make it so you _can_ be prepared for the unexpected."

The elder sister didn't feel her sister crying this time, but the girl did squeeze tighter. "Thank you, Winter. Thank you."

/-/

Jaune hadn't been on the airship leaving for Beacon 2 minutes before a ball of red rose petals tackled him. Though, tackle was a strong word considering Ruby had not been capable of knocking him down, so more like a violent hug at high speeds. Instinctively he hugged back before breaking the embrace.

Standing in front of him was Ruby, dressed in the same ensemble as before. Behind her was Yang, who seemed to be wearing a similar outfit to the one she'd wore during their "outing". She wore a tight fitting carmine colored vest over a yellow undershirt, which blended with a mini shirt the of the same deep red color. Her boots, which covered a good portion of her shins, were charcoal black. It looked good, although Jaune was willing to bet Yang could look appealing in only a sackcloth.

"Hello Jaune," greeted Ruby, over-pronouncing each syllable so her lips would be easier to read or at least that was what Jaune assumed.

"Hello, Ruby. Hi, Yang. How have you been?"

His former partner-in-crime gave a simple thumbs-up and gestured to her scroll as if to say she'd explain later. Ruby on the other end of the spectrum began outlining how the rest of her week had gone in detail. As usual in these situations, Jaune was able to grasp the gist of what she said, albeit missing a few words here and there. Some of it was things he already knew, like her fight with Torchwick and entrance into Beacon academy. Other things - like some last-minute training with Yang and a new cookie recipe – was new information.

"…and I just don't want people to think of me as different or special. Normal knees, you know?"

 _Normal knees? How many words did I miss?_

"Er, right."

Ruby beamed, letting Jaune know he said the right thing despite not fully understand what the normal knees thing was about.

"So how was the rest of your week Jaune?"

"Hm? It was alright I guess. My dad stayed with me the rest of the time, so that was fun…" explained Jaune, leaving out a few minor details.

" _Jaune, wake up!"_

" _I'm deaf, stop yelling."_

" _Guess what, I just found out there is a weird forest brimming with Grimm around here! Time for some extra training."_

" _What time is it-"_

" _Carpe Diem!"_

Ruby nodded her head, probably thinking back her own training this week. Jaune would have continued the conversation, but the sudden lurch of the Bullhead finally taking off flipped his stomach to the point he was worried opening his mouth would lead to rejecting more than just words. His aura kicked in to regulate the problem and it helped a bit, but never truly fixed the problem. Standing up wasn't really helping much either. As if Yang could read his thoughts, a hand took his arm and moved him to the seats that lined the outer edge of the wall. A second later a new message vibrated his scroll.

 _Wouldn't want you vomiting like last time._

Of course, she remembered. The message wasn't ill-willed however, so Jaune simply smirked at the golden blonde that had sat beside him and pushed the scroll back into his hoodie pocket. It would be a few minutes before they reached Beacon, so Jaune took the opportunity to look around at the other soon to be students. A few were standing around in small groups, either hitting it off or already being familiar with each other. Most, however, kept to themselves, unwilling to draw unnecessary attention. A dark-haired girl in the far corner seemed to be trying to become one with the shadows.

Jaune's line of thought was broken when Yang tapped him on the shoulder and pointed towards a beautiful white-haired girl with skin just as fair. Huh, she looked a lot different from the last time he saw her.

 _Weiss Schnee. So, she came to Vale to attend Beacon, huh? That explains the combat ability._

Before the kidnapping incident, Jaune had only known of Weiss because of how avid a Dust enthusiast he was. Apparently, she also sang. For obvious reasons, the Hunter-in-training didn't get much enjoyment from her album.

"Do you think she knows who we are?" Whispered Jaune to Yang, who put a hand to her chin and looked down in thought.

 _Probably not,_ she typed out onto her scroll. _Ozpin told me the incident and our names would stay private. Why do you ask? Hoping it will loosen up the social gears and allow you to get close?_

Jaune deflected his friend's lecherous grin with an eye roll and went back to scanning the crowd. Some dude with a mohawk. A large guy with plate armor. World renowned fighter and 4-time Mistral champion, Pyrrha Nikos. A person in black… Damn, there were a lot of people wearing black clothing. It took the teenager's brain a second to catch up before his eyes snapped back to the red-haired goddess sitting a few yards away surrounded by a small crowd of apparent fans.

It was interesting that she wouldn't be going to Haven. The girl could probably have skipped Initiation or even registration and have been admitted with fanfare. Jaune knew Mistral well and to say that Pyrrha had celebrity status would be an understatement. Although, Vale was known as the place the most successful Hunters came from, so it could be that. Whatever the reason, her performance in sparring classes would be a spectacle.

Jaune then noticed everyone's gaze turn to the hologram displaying the news, although it now projected the image of a blond-haired Huntress. If memory served, she was the very same Huntress that accompanied the VPD who came to question him.

 _What was her name again? Honda Hoodwitch?_

"My name is Glynda Goodwitch." Jaune read, looking at the subtitles on the screen. Well, he'd been close at least. "You are among the privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy! Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage for such a task, and it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect this world."

Then the image faded. As if on queue, every who was sitting down stood up and started staring out the large windows, oohing and aahing at the view. Predictably, Ruby stood to marvel at the view as well, who was joined by Yang. Seeing the two were most likely having a sibling moment, Jaune made no move to get up. Of course, this also had to do with the fact vertigo would punch him in the stomach if he so much as tried.

Instead, Jaune did a quick check to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything at the hotel. Among his items was a large duffle bag that housed all his Dust and threads, a Vacuo styled guitar, and Corea Mors at the hip. It wasn't much, but after doing a quick look around, he saw it was a bit more than others. Also, hardly anyone seemed to have brought a change of clothes. Though, it could just be training for life as a wandering Hunter.

The airship lurched heavily when it came to a halt. A moment later the bay doors to the bullhead opened and future "heroes" poured out into the courtyard. Jaune picked up his stuff and walked to the open hanger, happy to be back on solid land again. Yang and Ruby appeared beside him a moment later, each having a look of thinly contained wonderment at Beacon. It wasn't like he could blame them either. The flora on either side of the wide cobbled path was breathtaking to the point Jaune wondered if it was Dust generated or not.

Large, flowering trees lined the sides of the path, accompanied with bushes and shrubs native to Vale, Mistral, and even Vacuo. Looking closely, the grass was, in fact, a layer of moss and fern that acted like a carpet for the ground, appearing soft in texture. Before Jaune knew it, he had allowed his aura to flow freely and embrace the surroundings as well, enhancing the experiences. It was times like this, when his senses tingled and soaked in the environment, he was most comfortable. Like being home in the forest near his childhood home.

So, lost in awe, Jaune didn't even notice the stationary girl in front of him until he nearly ran directly into her. Thankfully, Yang put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back at the last second. The girl, with skin as fair as snow, turned around.

"Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going. Caught up in the surroundings and what not, you know." Jaune attempted to explain, cursing himself for making a bad first impression. Although, she didn't seem to mind. Impassiveness was better than anger, right?

"It's fine I suppose. Just be careful not to make the same mistake," she replied. An edge of irritation in her tone. Weiss didn't give Jaune a chance to respond, walking away briskly in the direction of the Main Hall. Jaune felt his shoulders slump a bit at the social misstep, though Yang slapping him roughly on the back with enough force to drop his aura levels broke that line of thought. She moved to stand in front of him before speaking.

"Hey don't worry about it slugger. After all, you'll have a whole semester to fix that," spoke the blonde, winking to emphasize her point.

 _Assuming I pass Initiation. Wait, no more of that thinking. Yang's counting on me to pass, so I will. Whatever it is._

"You're right I guess."

"Great! Well, I must go catch up with some friends from Signal. In fact, they are right here!" More people dressed in all black clothing appeared out of literally nowhere and surrounded Yang. It was such a fright Jaune nearly drew his blade in response. "Take care of Ruby for me, and Ruby, make sure if there is a fire drill to tell Jaune, ok? Byeee~"

And then there were two left in the courtyard. Jaune looked down to the small girl at his side, who seemed to be in a similar state of general befuddlement. It was nice to know there was at least one other sane person.

"So, those were her friends from Signal?"

Ruby nodded in the affirmative.

"Um… does everyone from Signal just wear all black?"

The small girl looked up at him with a curious expression, which evolved into full blown astonishment. "You noticed that too?! Yang told me I was just crazy!"

 _The heck?_

 _/-/_

The inside of the main hall in Beacon was very crowded and expectantly loud with the voices of over-eager teenagers. Usually, Weiss would have been annoyed at the idiots - and she still was – but the morning's events had left her mentally and physically drained. Even when that blond fool nearly ran into her, she couldn't muster up even a fraction of anger.

It wasn't really his fault anyway, she had been just as caught up in Beacon's enchanting display of gardening as he had been. If anything, the girl was annoyed at the fools who walked past the scenery without even noticing its beautiful appearance. However, it had never been like Weiss to stop and smell the roses before. When that changed, she couldn't guess.

"Hey, sorry my friend nearly bumped into you."

Weiss looked to her left and saw the blonde-haired girl from before standing beside her. In all honesty, she had assumed the boy of similar hair and this girl had been related. "Oh, well it's quite alright. I was actually rather enraptured with the scenery myself, to judge would be hypocritical."

 _When has that ever stopped you before?_

The blonde's smile widened. "Thanks for the understanding. I'm Yang by the way. Yang Xiao Long." She extended a hand, one Weiss grasped ahold of instinctively, memories of business meetings and mandatory conferences coming back.

"Weiss. Weiss Schnee."

Weiss briefly wondered if Yang had recognized her before this exchange of pleasantries, but she threw away the thought. It would spoil the surprisingly enjoyable introduction. It didn't feel forced at all, a feat only ever attributed to Winter previously. Maybe Beacon wouldn't be so bad after all. The sentiment nearly died when a Faunus walked past her, the still very fresh memory of Sinbad coming back. However, the words he traded with her before the incident helped to dispel the bias she desperately held onto.

"So, what's with all the suitcases? If you don't mind me asking."

Weiss perked up a bit, happy to talk about something familiar to get her mind off her increasingly complex view of Faunus. "Oh, well I packed a lot of clothes, but most of it is high-quality dust." To prove the claim, she picked up one of her cases and opened it, showing off the extensive collection of Dust, some being rather hard to come by. Yang perked up considering.

"Wow, so you must be pretty good with Dust manipulation. Jaune and you would really hit it off then."

"Jaune? The one who almost bumped into me?" Yang nodded.

"Hmm. I suppose I ca-"

A loud crackle of static cut through the chatter of new students, causing everyone to go silent and look at the stage. On stage was a grey-haired man who walked with a cane. Beside him was the Huntress she knew to be Glynda Goodwitch. Without even speaking, his presence commanded respect and authority. Weiss was no stranger to strong characters – they were far from rare within her family and social class – though this man seemed different from them all.

"Ahem. I'll make this brief."

As the man who Weiss presumed was the Headmaster or a professor began speaking, her eyes were drawn to his hand movements. At first, it seemed he was subconsciously gesturing, but it soon became evident that it was deliberate. In fact, it almost looked like he was… doing sign language. But for who? Nobody in their right mind would allow someone deaf to be a Hunter.

"...It is up to you to take the first step." Then the professor of indeterminate age hobbled off stage, his place being taken by the blond-haired beauty beside him.

 _Oops. I think I missed all of that._

"Huh, that was kind of weird right?" Yang whispered to Weiss. The heiress couldn't help but find herself agreeing.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready." Ms. Goodwitch spoke. Her voice a far cry from the tender tone she'd used when Weiss had first met her. It was quite a shock the women could change personalities so drastically.

"There you are!" The little girl in red from earlier appeared at Yang's side, hitting the girl with ineffective punches. "Why would you leave me?" Yang smiled and poked her friend in the forehead.

"Stop so being dramatic, Ruby. Besides, I left you in good hands. Right Jaune?"

The blond boy – Jaune – stood beside Ruby, looking around the auditorium, clearly oblivious to his female friend's words. Yang rolled her eyes as if used to this and poked him in the cheek, snapping him out of his stupor.

"I said, right Jaune?"

"Uhh… right?"

Ruby giggled at his confusion along with Yang. Jaune raised an eyebrow but didn't seem particularly bothered. "You'll have to speak up next time Yang, you know I'm hard of hearing." The blond paused for a second before chuckling even louder.

"Oh boy," signed Yang, wiping a tear away. "This is going to be a fun school year. Common guys, let's get a good spot at the auditorium. You coming, Weiss?"

The familiar tone in which the blond took with her was unexpectedly refreshing. Not to mention the relaxed atmosphere which surrounded the three. "I would like that."

/-/

Jaune rolled out his sleeping bag beside Yang's, Ruby's, and Weiss'. Looking around, he was the only boy on the left side of the auditorium. The teachers hadn't specified that male and females would be split up, but it had just happened as a natural consequence of both groups being slightly self-conscious of each other. For all the bluster some of the shirtless males had, most hadn't even attempted to actually _talk_ to any girls. Jaune didn't know if it was sad or scary that these people were more afraid the opposite sex then Grimm – literal monsters made of fear.

The boy noticed the dark haired beauty from the Bullhead again, sitting in a corner reading. _Hey, I like reading! Maybe I should go talk to her._ He mulled the thought over for a while but gave up on the idea. _She probably doesn't want to be bothered anyway._ Jaune smoothed the final wrinkle from the sleeping bag and sat down. A fellow blond sat down beside him, bringing the smell of strawberries and vanilla with her. He turned to greet her, having to scoot in closer to see her lips in the dim light.

"Have a nice shower, Yang?"

"Sure did. The only thing missing was you."

The Hunter-in-training's face went stark red, and the composure he'd been holding on to went out the window. Not to mention his father pointing out how his friend looked like a younger Lavender, which made the comment ten times worse. Yang put an arm around the boy and let out a laugh Jaune felt rather than heard.

"Very funny," said Jaune, words in exact contradiction with how he actually felt. "Anyway, you never did tell me how your weekend was. Care to comment?"

Yang removed her arm from around Jaune and pulled forth her scroll, typing out a reply.

 _I learned a lot. About myself and my mom. That's the person I was looking for information on that night. I've been angry for a long time but now, it feels like a weight was taken off my shoulders. I'll have to tell you the full story one day._

Jaune nodded, able to tell this was extremely personal for the girl. "If you don't want to answer that is fine, but what is your mother's name?"

 _Raven Branwen_

The boy's face went blank along with his mind. Having done Hunter work in Mistral, Jaune _knew_ that name. It struck more fear than a Nuckelavee's scream and hit with the weight of three full grown Ursa. Her band of thieves left entire towns leveled and that was without Raven herself being present.

"Oh."

Yang looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I… know that name. In fact, she was the first person I learned to avoid in Mistral."

The girl beside him took on an inquisitive look while an array of emotions flashed before her eyes. To his horror, Jaune could see tears welling up in those familiar lilac eyes. Then like a dam bursting, tears began to flow. However, as Jaune took in her whole face, he noticed her cheeks were puffed out and red as if she was trying to bite back a-

"Ahahahahha!" Yang's body was wracked with giggles so uncontrollably she fell backwards, clutching her sides and rolling around. He couldn't actually hear her, but if the many looks from fellow students were anything to go by, it was pretty loud. By the time she started to calm down, everyone in the entire room – including the teachers on duty – were looking at them. A hand on his shoulder brought his attention back to Yang, who had finally sat up.

"Jaune, don't you understand what this means? All I would have had to do is ask _you_ instead of going on an information scavenger hunt and everything would have never happened. If I had been even the tiniest bit less sensitive and told you who we were looking for, that incident would have never happened!"

It seemed she tried to say more but another fit of giggles disrupted her thoughts. _Huh, I guess she's right._ Before he knew it Jaune himself began laughing as well at the absurdity of it all, not caring that everyone was watching.

/-/

"So, Jaune is deaf?"

Ruby hummed in the affirmative, toweling off her hair. The red themed girl personally thought Jaune being able to be a Hunter while also being deaf was the coolest thing ever. She was sure everyone else would probably feel the same as well. Weiss finished blow drying out her hair before handing the device to Ruby to use, which she accepted with a thank you.

"Hmm, well that explains why the teachers were using sign language. I'm not sure how I feel about this."

Ruby raised an eyebrow as the hot air blew away the moisture coating her hair. "Naw, don't worry about it. Jaune is strong." The girl claimed as if she trained him herself. When in reality she'd never even seen Jaune fight before. Weiss began running a hand through her hair, a troubled look still in her eyes.

"I don't doubt it I suppose. He must be for the Headmaster to have even allowed participation in our Initiation. Although, what I doubt; is his ability for teamwork."

Ruby turned off the white hairdryer and handed it back to Weiss, who put it back in her bag. "Hmm, I never thought of that. Jaune and Yang seem to communicate pretty well already and they have only known each other for about a week."

Weiss still looked troubled at the thought but didn't say more. The two girls finished their preparations and put on their respective sleepwear. As they left the bathroom/shower room, Ruby could barely contain her joy at the fact she had made friends with Weiss. She had seemed a bit unapproachable at first, but they had been able to make pleasant conversation.

They walked into the auditorium together and immediately noticed it was completely silent save for the laughter of two people. Weiss shook her head while Ruby placed a hand on her face in mortification. "Dang it, Yang... and Jaune."

/-/

Neo was worried about the future, which was something so rare that lightning might as well have struck the ground three times in the same place. In fact, the woman didn't think she had worried about the future once since discovering her semblance. Of course, there had been a tight spot here and there, but Roman and she had settled into a comfortable routine for the last few years. No one – not even the local Hunters – bothered Roman despite for the most part knowing of his underworld involvement. The VPD was riddled with corruption, so there was yet another safety net to fall on. Yes, if not for Cinder the two probably would have stayed in relative peace for another ten years.

Regardless of the fact that Neo had only known the woman for less than a few weeks, she was positive she hated Cinder more than anyone in her history. More than all the people who had made the ice cream themed women feel powerless or worthless. It was almost thrilling, seeing that Neo forgot she could despise someone's existence to such an extent. The vast majority of people who angered her rarely lived to see the next day and there was no use in hating the dead.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the dinner begin."

Neo looked up from her position on a beanbag chair located in the far corner of the large dining hall. In truth, it was just a large warehouse room fitted to look like a dining hall, but the "esteemed guests" hardly seemed to notice or care. The once concrete floor had been overlaid in velvet red carpet, where industrial lights once dangled was now a large chandelier, and in the middle of the large room was a cherry wood table able to seat 25 people. Roman sat at the head in an extravagant throne of gold, his trademark bowler hat was missing – it would be bad manners to wear one at a meal – although Melodic Cudgel was resting against the throne in reach. Of course, he was dressed at the very height of fashion. A charcoal black vest hand sewed with Mistral silk, gauntlet buttons made of ornate silver, a red button up shirt made of similar material underneath the vest, snow white dress pants from Atlas from the Schnee autumn collection, and white oxford shoes from the same collection. All 23 guest in attendance were lacking severely, all dressed in various styles of White Fang uniforms.

"Wait." Everyone looked up from their meals, confusion evident. Roman cleared his throat and continued. "As you all probably know, I invited you because everyone here is an elite that survived the botched kidnapping plan. As a reward for pulling your weight, during that rough patch. But this dinner has a secondary meaning…"

Roman stood from his chair and picked up Melodic Cudgel, making a show of brandishing the weapon around. Neapolitan rolled her eyes at the theatrics Roman clung to like a lucky pair of socks. Honestly, taking them into an interrogation room for a few hours would have much easier.

"Everyone here was privy to the information about the kidnapping before it happened. Two Hunters of unknown origin showed to a party they weren't invited to. Those same two Hunters claim they got the info from a few loose-lipped animals shooting the breeze in route to the safe house."

Nobody spoke. Nobody even breathed. A few eyes darted to the doors, but found bodyguards at both exits, not to mention Neo herself was now holding her parasol in a relaxed grip, ready to break anyone who might try to run for it.

 _Hmm, I take it back, this is fun._

Roman seemed to be floating instead of walking now, the man completely in his element. It seemed he might even begin to skip. "You see lads and ladies, I know I didn't blab and my partner is mute. Perry, did you blab?

Perry, the only Faunus to have gained any semblance of respect from the career criminal, had currently been helping himself to the roasted wild-caught duck. Other than herself, Mercury, and Emerald, he was the only one seemingly unaffected by Roman's somewhat crazed display.

"Worked on the Stealth Tiger all week, sir," he said after swallowing. "Also, I'm am a bat, not a howler monkey." To prove the point, he even flashed his fangs before going back to eating. This sent Torchwick into a fit of hysterics so violent he needed to lean on Melodic Cudgel for support. The laughs echoed off the walls and filled the room completely. A few of the White Fang begin to whimper.

"O-Oh, that's rich! Why can't the lot of you be like Perry here?" Roman took a few deep breaths and wiped a tear away before continuing. "Okay, let's cut to the chase here before dinner gets cold. After a bit of ultraviolence, I like a hot meal to keep the buzz going. The official off the books report was that one of the Hunters overheard two White Fang – that's you guys by the way – and it was a male and female."

Just by the various expressions that went across the table, Neo could already guess who the culprits were. The faces of unadulterated horror said it all, Roman no doubt noticed as well. Roman walked with grace - usually reserved for Neo herself - towards the two. One, a female hyena Faunus and the other a male monkey Faunus. How appropriate.

"Oh, what do we have here?" The thief spoke from behind the two, his voice filled genuine heartfelt joy. It only served to make the hyena Faunus whimper louder. The poor girl was on the verge of tears before even getting her true punishment. The black-haired monkey Faunus attempted to be strong for his friend, though the façade failed miserably. It was such a pathetic scene Neo began giggling to herself silently.

"W-we weren't the o-o-ones…"

The black-haired Faunus attempted and failed to speak, his voice cracking so badly he eventually gave up and looked back down to his plate of cooked goose and assorted veggies. "I-It wasn't on…" It was then the chestnut-haired hyena's resolve finally dissolved completely into a fit of unmuffled sobs and gasp. The black-haired boy looked around the table for help but found everyone was either avoiding eye contact or attempting to eat silently. He was abandoned.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," exclaimed Roman, throwing his arms open. "I present to you the reason we aren't eating off the hog-tied body of Weiss Schnee. A loud-mouthed hyena just doing what came naturally, and a feral monkey who couldn't help but shit on my carpet and plans."

The monkey snapped. He grabbed the dinner knife from off the table and stood abruptly, making a move to Neo's partner in the throat. However, before the eating utensil could even be raised, the back of Roman's fist collided with the attacker's cheek and sent him to the floor. A moment later Mercury and Emerald were upon him. Roman sighed and shook his head in disappointment.

"Tch, using a dinner knife as a weapon? I guess I shouldn't have expected a monkey to have proper table manners."

Said Faunus wasn't able to hear the remark because of the loud ringing in his ears, courtesy of Mercury's boot colliding with the side of his head and nearly fracturing his skull. After he finally stopped resisting, the two agents of Cinder lifted him up to kneel in front of Torchwick.

"So, what are going to do then? Kill me and Hina?" The monkey spat out the words with malice, attempting to look defiant in the face of death.

 _Aww, how cute._

Roman smirked and bit back a laugh, a crazed look overcoming his eyes. "You know what I really love about this carpet?"

Roman received no response.

The smirk turned sour. Gripping Melodic Cudgel with both hands, Roman swung the metal cane like a baseball bat with the Fang member's head acting as the ball. Everyone in the room cringed at the sound of bone warping and a jaw dislodging. The man's head slumped and blood began to spill, mixing with the already crimson colored carpet.

"Let's try that one more time. Do you know what I love about this carpet?"

"Wtha-a…" The sound could have been mistaken for a gurgle rather than an actual answer, but Roman excepted it.

"I don't have to clean house every time a little blood gets on it. Blends right in. As for whether I'm going to kill you? Well, I have people for that. Also - unlike the carpet - these pants are white and stain like Hell."

With that over and done, Roman walked back over to his throne and sat down as if nothing had ever occurred. "Emerald. Mercury. I know you've probably been walking on eggshells around Cinder for the better part of a week because of that guy. Do whatever comes naturally."

The two had been directed to obey Roman's orders for today, but Neo had a feeling they would have happily obliged even if that wasn't the case. Not even a few seconds after, the sounds of violence filled the air once again. Many looked like they were going to be sick. Roman looked famished.

"Also, let the girl – Hina was it – finish her last meal. At least she showed some damn manners."

The two teenagers didn't respond verbally, but they also didn't attempt to touch the hyena yet. Hina didn't seem to be in the eating mood at the moment, she was barely able to contain her cries of mercy and wracked sobs.

"Love, I suggest you dig in. It is your last meal prepared in front of you," suggested Roman, despite Neo knowing he didn't care either way. The thief's work was done and Cinder wouldn't be breathing down his neck for a few days. A small win, but nevertheless a win after a sea of losses.

"Oh, the cooks really outdid themselves with these greens. Neo," began Roman, turning around to address her for the first time since dinner had started. "Play Tchaikovsky's Waltz of the Flowers, please. I'm feeling in the mood."

Seeing that the women had been appeased with ice cream earlier that day and the fact Neo herself quite liked that movement, she reached around the beanbag chair and grabbed her scroll. A few quick button mashes later and the device connected to the wireless speakers mounted along the walls. Soft violins could be heard a few moments later, filling the room in a warm ambiance. The dynamic strings went perfectly with the screams of torment reverberating off the walls.

* * *

 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed that. I'm sure many will say Weiss seemed very out of character in this chapter and I would agree with you, but I hope you understand why at least. Unlike in canon, she no longer has a "holier than thou" attitude, Sinbad's death still weighing heavily on her mind. There is more to it than just this, but it will be explained thoroughly in the coming chapters. Yang will similarly be different than her V1 self because of learning about her mother. All of it will be explained more in the future, so I hope the change isn't so drastic that it will make reading unpleasurable.**

 **Also, I hope you liked my OC, Saul. His presence will be important to the conflict, so don't forget him. Same goes for Winter's presence in Vale. Finally, I hope you all enjoyed the final scene with Roman. It was by far the most fun I had while writing this chapter, so I hope you enjoyed it as well. If you still have any questions, Review or PM.**

 **Next Chapter: Initiation**


	6. Initiation

Chapter 6: Initiation

Beta: Shad0wReaper133

* * *

Cinder wasn't happy. She was rarely ever truly happy anyway, but at this particular moment, she was extremely unhappy. A culmination of prolonged exposure to idiots, frustration, and the general uncertainty of life had destroyed any semblance of joy or even superficial pleasure she might have had before. She would have loved to blame this on Roman. She _did_ blame it on him to a certain degree, but in all honesty, it wasn't the thief's fault. If anything, the slow destruction of her plans was the fault of the White Fang, whose incompetence would more than likely be the cause of many chronic headaches in the future.

The half-maiden sighed and looked lazily at the scroll laying on her lap. She needed to call Adam. Word of the traitors being located and subsequently punished would and probably already had spread to the rest of the White Fang. No matter how low the possibility, some might be angered over their "brothers" death and speak out. Not to mention the current anger at losing the Lieutenant. Seeing that Cinder herself couldn't be present among the Fang, she would need Adam to cull the murmuring among the ranks.

Some would most likely be missed for the simple fact that neither Adam or even herself could read minds. However, after enough dissenters get punished publicly the rest would fall in line. They were cowards after all. She could try to limit the drawbacks of Roman's failure by breaking out the Lieutenant named Saw, who was surprisingly well liked among the lower members. Though, she decided against that course of action. Something about the current situation in Vale didn't sit right with her. Breaking into the VPD might bring a bit too much notoriety, the kind she didn't want just yet. Plus, the Lieutenant wasn't necessary to her plans, so he would stay in prison for the time being.

Cinder picked up the scroll and punched in Adam's contact name. A few seconds later a picture appeared on the device, showing a bone carved mask with red engravings. A mask Cinder knew to be made from human bones. Quite intimidating indeed.

"Good morning, Mr. Taurus. I do hope I haven't caught you at a bad time."

The bull's lips were perpetually curled in a frown as if there was nothing to be happy about in the world. Hell, for him that was most likely the metaphorical nail on the head.

"Right now is a bad time. What do you want?"

Well, he certainly had an attitude. That would have to be taken care of in short order. Cinder's eyes flashed with the Maiden's power and allowed her golden eyes to burn a fiery red. "I see, and why exactly is now a bad time?"

The change was barely discernible, but Adam seemed to sit up a bit straighter and though the gruffness in his tone remained. It would have brought a satisfied smile to the woman's face had she not been actively scowling. "You called at a bad time, Cinder. Right now, I am attempting to calm down another dispute on the failure of Roman Torchwick to right his wrong and rescue Saw. Actually I-"

"That won't be needed."

"Come again?"

"Lieutenant Saw will not be broken out of jail right now, or for the foreseeable future. I was willing to put up with the kidnapping scheme but doing anymore will simply jeopardize our chances of success in the coming months. I'll leave informing the others to you."

"Right." Adam didn't seem happy about the idea, but he would comply all the same, just like the rest of the spineless White Fang that basically groveled at Taurus' feet. They would obey. Still, best to keep an eye on that closely. Things could easily spiral out of hand and quick. "I'll check in with you later tonight. Unless there is something else to be said, I'll be taking my leave."

"You are free to go."

Adam nodded before the screen went blank. That had gone as well as it could have. It was obvious that the decision to leave the poor bear Faunus in lock-up would be unpopular, especially when Saw was so unexpectedly popular. No matter, they would soon forget with the speeding up of her plans of stealing every speck of Dust from the Vale. Now onto more important matters. Forged transcripts from Haven and where to find them.

 _Time to give Lionheart a call._

 _/-/_

Upon opening his eyes, Jaune believed himself to be back in Menlo with his family. After all, more than three of his sisters had golden hair that would tickle his face when they climbed into his bed to wake him up. However, after a few moments of scanning the area with Aura, that theory was quickly debunked. No, it was simply his new friend Yang that had apparently rolled a bit close during the night. As his eyes adjusted to the low light, he saw that not only had Yang rolled close enough for her untamed hair to invade his personal space but apparently had turned to face him as well. Jaune's overly sensitive sense of movement caught Yang's breathing and the cute way her cheeks puffed out when…

 _And let's end that train of thought._

Rolling over might as well have been a new but not entirely different version of the same torment. There was Weiss Schnee in all her glory. And wow, did she have glory at monopoly levels. Her hair radiated a shimmering white glow, despite the sun not being up or the overhead lights being on. The gentle rise and fall of her chest was equally alluring, even if she was lacking in the breast department.

 _Eh, flat is justice… what the hell am I saying?!_

Scared of what morning and admittedly horny Jaune would think next, sane Jaune opted to get the heck out of there as quick as possible to use the bathroom and generally clear his thoughts. Careful not to wake anyone up, Jaune slipped out from beneath his cover and slowly stood to his full height. Using ninja precision, the teen hopped to empty patches of the floor in the minefield of bodies covering the area. It wasn't until he made it to the end of the auditorium that Jaune realized he'd been holding his breath the entire time. Looking back to make sure he didn't accidentally wake anyone up, the Hunter-in-training caught sight of something rather interesting.

 _Guess I wasn't the only guy to sleep on the female side after all._

A few meters away he saw what looked to be a guy with long solid black hair – sans a single pink streak – lying in the same sleeping bag as a cute looking orange haired girl. _They must have been dating since before Beacon. That or he's just the smoothest operator to ever grace the face of Remnant._

Jaune's breath caught in his throat when two pink eyes locked onto his. His gaze was soft and almost calming. With the smallest movement possible, the teenager nodded his head to the other in acknowledgment and went back pretending to sleep.

It took five seconds for Jaune to reclaim his wits and begin to walk towards where he remembered the bathroom to be. Against all odds, what with the school being like a labyrinth, the teen found a bathroom somewhere near the other side of the Beacon, completely missing a few closer bathrooms in the process. No matter. Not like he was in a hurry or anything. Also, it couldn't hurt to warm up those muscles before Ozpin had them do Dust knows what. His dad claimed that he'd been tasked with hunting down a four-headed King Taijitu and killing it with only his bare hands. While Jaune doubted the authenticity of that story, it didn't mean Initiation wouldn't be a challenge.

As Jaune was about to walk into the boy's bathroom someone walked out of the female room. He quickly recognized her as the girl reading in the corner last night – the golden eyes are a dead giveaway. She was wearing the same black and white outfit she had been yesterday. _I guess I wasn't the only one who got lost on the other side of the school to find a bathroom._

"Did you get lost too?" Jaune asked, deciding to try his hand at communication. So far he was 3 for 3 with the whole making friends thing, so why not go for a fourth. The girl's eyes narrowed at the question, causing Jaune to smile nervously.

She nodded her head in the affirmative after a moment just long enough to be awkward. It seemed as if she was about to walk away, which would probably be for the best. However, the third oldest of the Arc children decided to throw logic to the curb and drag this out.

"I like books."

The girl stopped and gave him an odd look. Her bow twitching slightly, eyebrow raised in a questioning manner.

"I mean I saw you reading last night… and I also like books…"

 _Yeah, that didn't sound creepy at all._

"Did you see what I was reading?" The girl asked, Jaune only barely grasping the meaning of her question, not catching all her words. She didn't move her lips much when talking, making this slightly difficult for him. Her body language became a bit more reserved at the question as if embarrassed by something.

"I saw the book cover I guess. It's about ninjas, right?"

The girl seemed to grow even more uncomfortable. "Of a sort, yes…"

"Wait, I think I remember the title name too. Ninjas of Luscious Lemons, right?"

The girl's face relaxed from its tense expression and her bow twitched in relief. "Yes… It's half action, half cookbook." Jaune smiled, impressed with his own memory. Although, the raven-haired girl before him still seemed a bit uncomfortable so maybe it would be for the best to let her off the hook.

"Well, it was nice talking to you…"

"Blake. My name is Blake."

All Jaune caught of that was the word Blake, which just so happen to be the only important information. "Cool. My name is Jaune Arc. Short, sw-" The boy stopped midway through his phrase, calling upon his better sense. "Um, yeah. Jaune Arc." Dear lord, did he have to muzzle himself to not say something stupid to females. Damn this Arc vitality.

"Okay. It was nice speaking to you Jaune." Blake then walked past Jaune back towards the auditorium. Not a moment later, sunlight finally began peeking through the windows in the hallway, showering the area in an orange glow.

 _Shoot, I should probably hurry._ Then Jaune finally entered the bathroom.

/-/

Blake made her way back to the auditorium, slightly perplexed that someone else would be using the bathrooms on the far side of the school. The only reason she'd even gotten up early and wandered over there was to avoid unwanted encounters, yet she still managed to bump into some guy who got lost.

 _Or maybe I was followed…_

The feline Faunus shook her head and dismissed the thought a moment later. No one knew who she was here, bar the Headmaster and possibly the staff. The boy – Jaune – didn't seem to be a Faunus, so it wasn't likely he would even be in the White Fang, well not what the White Fang had turned into. The boy had been a bit odd. Instead of looking where any hormone-fueled teenager would, particularly her exposed arms, or possibly her breast, Jaune had stared at her lips with religious devotion the entire time. A little weird but better than the alternative she supposed.

" _I saw you reading last night…"_

Blake mentally berated herself for that one. In fact, the only reason she'd taken the risk of reading smut in a room full of people – other than a slight exhibition fetish – was that Jaune and the blond girl were making enough noise to distract everyone in the room. Not mention it was the newest book in the spinoff series. Tukson knew how to give the gift that kept on giving.

 _Well, at least he didn't see the actual title. That would have been a dead giveaway as to the true nature of the contents. Explaining away the title Ninja's of Lustful Lamenting: Lemon Edition would have been near impossible._

As the girl finally made it back to the auditorium, the sounds of shuffling and muted conversations could be heard. It seemed the sunlight peeking through the large windows of the hall had gradually helped to awaken the teens from slumber. As expected, many of the boys were making a beeline for the bathroom, less their morning wood is exposed to the females on the other side. One particularly large boy with a bird emblem on his t-shirt wasn't even subtle about it. Lucky for him, most of the girls didn't notice and the ones that did simply giggled and moved on.

 _Morons._

Blake jogged past the area towards the locker room to retrieve her weapon. The numbers didn't seem to follow any sort of numerical pattern, instead, finding your stuff was more a matter of memorization. Something rather difficult when every locker row looked the same. Other than the fact she'd rather go unnoticed, Blake had put her stuff in the last locker of the last row because it would be a simple matter to find.

 _I wonder what the Headmaster will have us do?_

There was really no telling, though the girl did know no matter what, she'd be ready. With weapon in tow, she began to head back towards the auditorium where more instructions would most likely be given, not to mention maybe get some breakfast before Initiation started. Everyone was either waking up or in the bathroom at the moment, meaning there most likely wouldn't be a line for food.

"Sure was nice of Jaune to get in line for food so that we could get our weapons."

Blake turned to see that three girls – one of them being the Huntress-in-training that Jaune made a spectacle with – had walked into the locker room chatting. Her gaze passed over the blonde and the loli with a Grimm sleep mask, stopping on the white-haired girl between the two. Despite having seen her the day before, it was still hard to believe that she was under the same roof as the Schnee Heiress – Weiss. Dear lord, Adam would cut off his left ear to be in this position. Blake would have done the same only a year prior, but times had changed. _Blake_ had changed.

To prove that point to herself, the ex-White Fang member almost went over to talk to the group, but her feet refused to move in that direction. Instead, she walked past them without uttering a word and headed to the cafeteria for a quick and preferably light breakfast.

As suspected, there was hardly a line for breakfast, a lot of the teens opting out altogether from eating in fear of an upset stomach during Initiation. It was a move that spoke of forethought, though it was also rather short-sighted, considering that the test might involve staying overnight in the woods or something similar. So, a light breakfast of an apple and energy bar would have to suffice.

"Hey! Hey, Blake!"

Slightly startled at being called, Blake looked over the empty tables of the cafeteria and spotted a head of blond hair complimented with a smiling face.

 _Dust, what have I gotten myself into._

It would be rude to straight up ignore Jaune, especially since she'd already turned in his direction – a clear indication of hearing his call. Giving out a small sigh, Blake walked towards his table, noticing that there were two other people with him. A dark-haired boy with an impassive face and an orange haired girl who had taken the concept of a light breakfast and throw it into a fire. _Is that a stack of pancakes with… bacon bits mixed in?_ Deciding to ignore the fact that she hadn't seen any pancakes being made in the cafeteria, Blake sat down next to Jaune with enough room to keep her personal space intact.

"Hello!" The redhead waved happily at her, though went back to eating soon after. The boy beside the girl with hair as dark as her – save for a pink streak – nodded politely and bite into an energy bar. Seemed he was going with the light breakfast approach as well.

"So, Blake, how's it going?" Jaune asked this with a smile, attempting to eat scrambled eggs and make conversation at the same time. It was now that Blake allowed herself to look the Hunter-in-training down a bit closer. He didn't seem all that prepared for battle, only sporting a gray and gold hoodie and black pants. Of course, he could have his weapon concealed. Same for the other boy.

"I'm doing fine…"

"Cool. Have any idea what we'll be doing?"

The ex-White Fang member found it partially amusing that the blond boy would think she had any more information than she did. "As much of an idea as you do."

 _Again with the staring at my lips thing._

The black-haired boy reached over the table and tapped Jaune on the arm to get his attention rather than calling out for him. "Hmm, yeah Ren?"

The boy – Ren apparently – had been staring at Jaune intensely since Blake had gotten called over to the point it appeared that the two either got into a fight or were actually secret lovers, pining for each other's affection, yet society expectations kept them apart… _Okay Blake, no more smut for a while._

"I'm very impressed at the level of adjustment you have, considering your disability. The fact you're allowed here speaks volumes of it. I was rather surprised when I saw the Headmaster using sign language myself."

Jaune smiled uncomfortably and rubbed his head. "It wasn't _that_ hard. Just aura training mostly. Actually I-"

The blond teen stopped talking and looked to the side where the entrance was located. A second later Jaune's group of friends walked in the room, an underage looking girl in red skipping ahead of the blond girl and Schnee bitch…Heiress. Jaune waved them over.

"Did you guys have a hard time finding my weapon?" Jaune asked, pushing four trays of varying levels of food towards the girls, who smiled gratefully. The girl who Blake suspected to be related to Jaune – the blond hair being a telling sign – handed the boy a sheathed sword and sat down next to him.

"No, no, no. Finding locker number 1074, which was hiding between 12 and 466 was a complete cakewalk."

Blake raised an eyebrow at the deliberateness of each word and careful pronunciation. In fact, the whole conversation with Ren and Jaune had seemingly shed light on something that had peaked her intrigue since getting to Beacon. Headmaster Ozpin using sign language was odd – to the point that Blake guessed it must have simply been an unconscious thing. Surely no one in their right mind would allow someone deaf to be a hunter. Although, based on what was unfolding at this table it seemed that is exactly what happened.

"…-our name?"

Blake snapped out of her mini trance and looked up at the large silver pools staring at her. "Uh, what?"

"I said what's your name?"

"Blake." The ex-White Fang almost said her last name but stopped short, eyes shifting to the Schnee a few feet away, chatting with Ren and the red head across the table. Her last name was rather… recognizable after all. "Blake Belladonna."

Taking another quick glance at the Heiress, there was no outward response. Blake allowed herself to relax. The small girl in red beamed. "I'm Ruby Rose." The dark-haired Huntress-in-training allowed a small grin to form on her lips as she shook the downright tiny outstretched hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Ruby Rose."

A loud 'pop' followed by an even louder 'crackle' came from the intercom, cutting through the light chatter of the lunchroom. "Attention students, please gather your weapons and come to the cliffs."

With another loud crackle of the apparently ancient sound system, the voice disappeared. There was a complete silence for about 2 seconds before the hustle and bustle of students attempting to scarf down final scraps of food or running to find their weapon in the numerical labyrinth of the locker room. Thank goodness she had the foresight to get Gambol Shroud ahead of time. It seemed the ones at her table had the sense to do the same, as none of them immediately began rushing to retrieve last minute items.

"Alright, let's do this!" The short redhead rose from her seated position, a plate once loaded with pancakes and excessive syrup now completely spotless as if it had gone through a dishwasher. "Renny do you think they'll have us jump off the cliffs?"

The quiet boy merely muttered a 'maybe' before meandering towards the main exit, the girl following close behind. Everyone else at the table quickly finished up as well and began speed walking towards the exit, Blake included.

 _This is it. The first day of the rest of my life._

 _/-/_

"Are there any questions?"

Yang didn't even look back at the Headmaster when he asked this. She was ready for anything in those woods and was eager to test out her new fighting style on the Grimm that awaited within the darkness. However, before doing any of that she still needed to successfully find Jaune and look him in the eyes. It shouldn't be a challenge, seeing that Jaune seemed to have a way to identify people based off their specific aura anyway. Odds are he would come to her. Unless something got in his way, like another person. Yang didn't doubt that Jaune would stop to help someone in a tight spot, even if it meant they couldn't be partnered. Hell, she'd do the same.

She fiddled with the hem of her carmine colored vest, the thing nearly being black in color. The new style was still an adjustment, though she was beginning to like it. The hardest change to get used to was her black boots, which had a bit more of a heel that what she was used too. This style was reminiscent of Raven's – Ruby probably noticed but hadn't brought it up – though it wasn't because of any lingering sense of abandonment anymore.

" _Your mother thought she could take on everything with brute force…"_

The style change was simply a reminder of what not to be. Tai's words were powerful and humbling – though the weight of them was only magnified by the event that prompted them. Her defeat at Torchwick's hand had been swift and all but decided the moment they traded blows. He had been deliberate where she was hasty, calm opposed to her untamed fury. The difference in experience was obvious, however, it paled to the vast difference in mindset.

The loss had been the first major one in… forever. Never mind leaving her in the hospital with a nearly fractured skull. Never again would Yang allow emotion to control her actions. So as to not lose and to not become someone she despised.

The first panel was launched down the row, taking Yang from her thoughts. A person Yang didn't know was thrown deep into the woods. In short succession, people were thrown into the dark flora below. She took the time to look over to Jaune at her left and wink before placing on aviators. He nodded in acknowledgment and lowered his center of gravity before being sent flying into the sky as well. Yang turned to Ruby on her right and mouthed a 'good luck' before going from 0 to 30 mph in less than a second, being thrown high into the air.

With a large grin, the thrill seeker activated her shotgun gauntlets and began firing backward so as to keep her momentum up. When she finally did come down, the girl hit the ground running and kept going until inertia ran its course, giving Yang the chance to slow down and catch her breath.

 _Heh, I guess I got all the free-falling training I needed last week._

Yang began to jog forward, looking around for the temple Ozpin had told them to look for. Oddly enough, no Grimm showed up to oppose her. The sunlight shining through the canopy cast dark shadows over most of the ground, each step brought her past several trees and shrubs. Yang's stamina kept her going at a brisk pace, easily covering large sections of the forest without stopping. So, when the girl finally did come to a rest, it wasn't because of fatigue.

Looking around, Yang found herself in a large circle of tall grass, which marked the first area without a constant presence of trees. There was more light coming through the ceiling of leaves overhead, casting everything in a mystical green tint. The natural beauty failed to mask the hidden danger, however.

A dark shadow rose from the grass behind her, its red eyes glinting in the low light. To the monsters' credit, the serpentine Grimm's head moved quicker than human reflexes could follow, striking towards the girl at blurring speeds. Of course, it was unknown whether or not Grimm could feel surprised, but Yang liked to think so.

The blonde brawler pivoted on her left foot and slammed her fist into the King Tijitu's head. The impact and resulting shotgun blast ripped through the silence of the Emerald Forest and shattered the fangs of said Grimm in one go. Its body was flung like across the clearing and collided with a tree, coming to an abrupt halt and lying still. Yang raised an eyebrow and placed a hand on her hip.

"Common Snakey, that was all you had?"

 _Wait a second. Don't King Taijitu's have two-_

Yang internally berated herself as a shadow appeared from behind and the fangs of the Taijitu's head came down at unavoidable speeds. The Huntress-in-training flared out her aura to possibly deflect the blow and then counterattack. However, the poisonous strike never came.

Instead, the second head fell to the ground separate from its body. The massive body began dissolving into nothing a moment later, the thick layer of smoke masking the features of her savior and soon to be partner. Yang smiled, guessing who it might be.

 _The dummy found me after all._

"Hey, thanks for the save. Looks like we'll be partners after all-"

Yang's voice died when the smoke finally cleared. Lilac eyes stared into pink ones instead of the expected sapphire blue.

 _Whoops._

 _/-/_

Blake had successfully killed everything that threatened her thus far, that ranging from a few Beowolves to an Ursa Major. Nothing to really write home about. In fact, it had been rather quiet. There was the occasional roar or growl of a Grimm, but it usually was silenced a few moments later. No doubt the students dropped in this forest handling their situations with relative ease.

 _Or maybe not._

The Faunus' better than average hearing caught on to the sounds of battle some ways away. Unlike the other altercations, she'd hear, however, this one didn't end quickly. It was someone who might need help. Blake's first instinct was to walk a different way and avoid the trouble. Surely if that person was Hunter material they would pull through. And if they died, it was their own fault. Survival of the fittest after all.

" _Survival of the fittest after all."_

It was something Adam would often say when someone died on a mission and Blake felt the need to mourn them. She couldn't pinpoint exactly when his tears eventually became anger and when his anger eventually turned into cold indifference. It almost seemed overnight. _"Survival of the fittest after all."_ It was a tempting mindset. Indifference was so very alluring, it meant never being hurt by the loss of someone again. It meant doing what was deemed necessary without batting an eye.

" _What about the passengers?"_

" _What about them?"_

Her body seemingly acting separate from her brain, Blake found that she was running at full speed through the wilderness towards the sound of battle with a frantic burst of energy. _I'm not like him. I'm not like him. I'm not like him…_ Blake removed Gambol Shroud from her back and readied it for battle. No one was dying when she could help it. Fuck survival of the fittest.

When the fighting finally did come into view, Blake's throat went dry and her entire body screamed to turn back. Run in the opposite direction of the girl in white a few meters away fighting off 5 Ursa, one being a Major. Running would mean nothing had changed. It would mean being no worse than Adam. Staying to fight would mean being paired with a Schnee for four years.

Blake chose the lesser of the two evils.

"Fall back!"

The Schnee turned around at the noise. Blake picked up the small glint of relief in her eyes, evidence that the girl had most likely been fighting a losing battle. Weiss jumped backward to gain some distance between the five monsters and catch her breath. Meanwhile, Blake ran past her gripping Gambol Shroud tight enough to turn her knuckles white. She closed the distance on the first one in less than a second, jumping clear over the Ursa while twisting her body in a half aerial somersault.

 _Die._

The Ursa followed her command to the letter, receiving a deep cut courtesy of Blake, who went about craving Gambol Shroud into its nape, nearly decapitating the beast in one strike. The ex-Fang member then vaulted off the Ursa's limp body and backflipped on top of another, performing the same routine until she ran out of bodies to leap to. Four decaying corpses laid in her wake, each disposed of with one precise cut to the neck. One was missing, however.

Turning to the left she, saw the last one – a particularly large Ursa Major – was engaged with the heiress. The girl was delivering many well-placed strikes on the beast, each one hitting a home on a vital area, wearing it down. It was a standard display, but no less impressive to see. Each step she took was filled with elegance and spoke of years' worth of practice. Finally, in a flash of what must have been a semblance increased speed, Weiss landed 20 hits in the span of time it usually took one. The last hit ripped through the monster's head and ended the battle.

Blake walked over to the panting girl, making sure she wasn't injured in any way. Thankfully, the only damage that could be found was the dress, which certainly wasn't the pristine white it was before Initiation. A few smudges of dirt and grass stains dotted the piece of clothing, not to mention a rip down the front, most likely sustained by dodging a set of claws.

 _Wait. We haven't made eye contact yet. Technically I could leave and not be like Ad-_

"Hello."

Blake jumped back a little when the pale girl appeared in front of her, their eyes locking onto one another. Weiss smiled. "Thank you for the save."

"No trouble. I suppose we're partners now."

"It seems that way." Weiss looked down at her ruined dress and frowned a little at the damage, but quickly shrugged it off. "Well, introductions are in order then. I'm Weiss. Weiss… Schnee. I saw you at breakfast but didn't catch your name."

"I'm Blake. Blake Belladonna."

The raven-haired beauty as nervous for an instant, but that quickly dissolved when Weiss' smile didn't fall. "It's a pleasure." Despite being in a Grimm infested wilderness, the white-haired girl curtsied – most likely out of habit – and began walking in a random direction.

 _Well, that certainly wasn't what I was expecting when I finally met a Schnee. No snark. No domineering attitude. Although, I'm sure that would change if my true race was revealed._

"Come this way, I believe the temple is in this direction."

Blake really wanted to roll her eyes at that, but superhuman restraint kicked in. "Really?" Remarked the Faunus, walking to catch up with Weiss. "How do you know?"

"…Intuition."

 _This ought to be good._

/-/

A blond-haired Hunter-in-training armed only with a sword and hoodie raced through the forest with aura enhanced speed. Anyone catching sight of him would have only seen a gray blur go by and the rustle of leaves. In fact, the teenager did run past someone, a flash of stark red contrasting with the green foliage was seen out his peripheral vision for but a second before he passed them and continued dashing in-between trees, pits, and other hazards. Heck, he even ran past a Beowolf. It didn't matter. Not right now.

 _I'm sorry Yang. Though I'm sure you'll say I did the right thing._

Jaune barely felt the strain on his legs as he jumped on top of a boulder and vaulted off it, going few meters into the air before hitting the ground running again. As Jaune burst through the tree line, Ruby came into view, who just happened to be running directly in his direction… with a massive Death Stalker tailing behind her.

 _Well, that explains the emotion spike. Okay, my dad said that there are approximately three correct ways to take down a Death Stalker, 12 if you have each core Dust element and endless ways to do it completely wrong and still succeed. But that is only if you're alone. How many was it with two people again?_

Jaune came out of thought when his and Ruby's eyes met, the silver pools uncertain but not fearful. She also seemed to be trying to say something, but he couldn't exactly pick it up that well, what with the whole running thing.

"Jaune… death… to… me…"

 _Dust, I hope I missed too many words._

"Ruby! Shoot at where the stinger meets the tail!" She seemed to catch on. Well, he would have to hope she did. A moment later – in a trail of rose petals – Ruby appeared behind Jaune. Was there any time to question that? Nope. Before the somewhat confused boy could process what must have been a semblance, he was staring in the face of one of the larger Deathstalkers he'd seen in his lifetime.

The right pincher attempted to cleave the boy in half, though Jaune easily jumped backward out the way. Looking up, Jaune noticed that the stinger was swaying left to right – not from its own swaying motion but because of high-powered caliber bullets hitting the sinew that connected the incredibly sharp stinger to the tough meat of the tail.

 _Nice job Ruby._

With a rasp of steel, Jaune removed Crocea Mors from its sheath and held it in a firm two handed grip, reminiscent of his father's stance. The pinchers were slow enough to dodge, making it easy for Jaune to jump backward and slash at the armored appendages, doing little to no damage. Was it effective in hurting the Deathstalker? No. However, it did the job of distracting the mindless beast from its own demise.

This was a pretty standard attack formation for taking on a Death Stalker – in fact, it could actually be the most standard attack formation. He'd done this before and the risk was minimal, though, a frown found its way onto his face.

He felt like something was missing. Like the phantom feeling of a missing limb. As Jaune deflected a pincher and managed to drive his sword into the meat, he realized what was wrong.

"Whoa!" Jaune removed his blade and rolled to the side, going under the large appendage and appearing in its blind spot. Using aura to activate the Wind Dust in Intego and coating his sword in the essence, Jaune brought the glowing blade down in a strong two-handed strike, cutting through the unarmored arm and dismembering it completely. Jaune nearly left himself open for a counterattack but was quickly able to dodge to the side again.

 _Sigh. If dad was here this thing would have been dead ages ago. I feel, sluggish without his aura nearby._

Jaune casually jumped backward again to avoid a hit and looked back up at the stinger. The thing was hanging by a few threads.

"Perfect. Ruby, trade positions!"

Jaune took a few large leaps back and allowed Ruby to dash forward and begin striking at the remaining armored limb. She was quick and more than agile enough to avoid injury from the already mutilated Grimm, giving the boy more confidence in his plan. Jaune sheathed Crocea Mors and made a running start towards the Deathstalker, jumped high into the air and landed on top of the armored body nearly falling over in the process.

As predicted, the Grimm attempted to rid itself of this new pest by rearing back its stinger and striking downward at a blinding speed, one that a person without aura couldn't hope to dodge. Thank goodness that wasn't the Arc, who was able to jump to the side and avoid the venomous, razor sharp stinger. As the hunter-in-training tumbled backward off the Deathstalker, he allowed a smug smile to come over his face at the sight of the monster impaling itself of its own glowing appendage.

Jaune landed on his feet and drew his ancestral blade once again, hacking at the legs with an aura coated strike and taking off two. The Grimm, nearly dead at this point from the stinger embedded into its head, fell on its side at the lack of hind leg support. Seeing the opportunity, Ruby dashed forward and cut the Deathstalker's now exposed underbelly to shreds, killing it in the process, and ending the pair's first battle as partners. Seeing the monster composed of fear slowly dissipate into nothing was more satisfying that Jaune cared to admit.

 _Okay, that's done I guess. Now, where is-_

Jaune turned around just in time for a surprise hug from Ruby, her scythe back in its compact form. He returned the hug, happy that she was okay. "Good to see you… partner."

Ruby looked up and smiled, mouthing the words, "Good to see you too."

The two broke the embrace and began checking their weapons. Jaune inspecting Intego and Ruby checking her ammo belt. "So, where did you find a Deathstalker?"

Ruby – deciding to spare him the trouble of reading lips – began to make crazy gestures to relay the story. First, she made an arc with one hand and then used her fingers as if they were walking.

"Hmm, okay. So… you walked through the forest canopy?"

Ruby shook her head in the negative. "A cave?" A large spike of emotion - he assumed happiness or something similar - came from the girl's aura, and she nodded yes.

"So, there was a Deathstalker in the cave you walked into?" She nodded again. The story was believable, Deathstalkers commonly being found in dark, cramped spaces. Though, they were more common in Vacuo than Vale.

As the two continued to walk together, the temple – what Jaune assumed to be the temple – came into view. The Hunter-in-training could feel three people already there, milling about. One was definitively Yang, her fiery aura resembling his dad's and was discernible from a mile away. The other two were vaguely familiar. After getting a bit closer, it became apparent that it was Ren's, his aura easily being one of the most calming he'd ever felt. Just as an educated guess, Jaune assumed the wild, untamed aura was Nora.

The two partners jogged quickly to the temple once they were spotted by Yang, who started waving wildly at them with a smile. The temple was a stone structure, covered by moss in multiple places, and seemed very rustic.

 _Cool. It seems that there are some relics just like Ozpin said. We should probably choose carefully, considering this decision will decide the rest of our life-_

Turning to his side, he saw that Ruby was no longer beside him and was somehow already beside her sister, picking out a large Golden Knight.

 _Or that._

Jaune walked over to Ren and shook his hand and nodded his head to Nora. "Glad to see you made it Ren. You to Nora. You guys partners?"

Ren opened his mouth but was interrupted. "YES!... in spirit." Jaune casually looked at Ren's girlfriend then back to the boy with a raised eyebrow.

"No. I'm partnered with your friend, Yang."

Jaune nodded wordlessly. "You run into any trouble on the way over here?" Ren shook his head.

"Only a King Taijitu I helped Yang defeat. Other than that, Nora killed most of the other Grimm. How about you?"

Jaune shrugged. "Only a Deathstalker. I had Ruby's help though, so it wasn't much of a problem."

Ren raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Impressive."

A tap on Jaune's shoulder brought his attention to the two sisters that had been catching up. Upon turning around, he was hit rather hard in the shoulder by his blonde friend, leaving a bruise for his aura to heal later.

"Ow! Yang, what the heck?!"

The girl's grin got wider. "That was a thank you for helping Ruby." Jaune looked at her incredulously. If that was her thank you, then Dust, forbid he ever needed to be punished.

"Gee, no problem," muttered Jaune, rubbing his arm. "So, you think we should stay here and wait for Weiss and whoever she paired with?"

As the words left Jaune's mouth, he felt Weiss' aura come into his range along with Blake's. That would have been rather convenient had they been on the ground. With near morbid fascination, Jaune looked up along with Yang and everyone else at the temple.

 _Damn, that's a big Nevermore._

On his left, Jaune saw Nora aiming her weapon at the Avian Grimm. He had forgotten to ask what type of weapons she used at breakfast, but by the design, he could pretty much guess the function. "Nora, wait!" Surprisingly, she did just as he asked, looking over at him questioningly.

"Weiss and Blake are up there. Don't shoot your… I'm going to guess grenade launcher?"

The girl nodded, lowering the weapon but not fully putting it away. "Okay guys, that Nevermore hasn't attacked us yet," the Nevermore, Jaune noticed, was flying rather erratically. "Plus, it seems to be having some difficulty staying in control of its flight. I can only guess that is Blake and Weiss' doing. Let's see how it plays out, but be ready to catch them should they fall."

Jaune looked around to see if everyone agreed with his findings. Thankfully, they all nodded and seemed to be on board with his plan to wait things out. Conveniently – or not so conveniently – they didn't have to wait long. A figure clad in white was flung from the back of the Nevermore and taken hold of by gravity, flailing around in a freefall. Jaune began sprinting to her position along with Yang, both intent on catching the heiress.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Jaune asked, making eye contact with his friend. She returned the look, the two having understood each other perfectly. The Arc jumped into the air and performed a front flip, landing not on the ground but onto Yang's waiting hands, who used her superior strength to throw him high the air to intersect Weiss before she could hit the ground.

 _Dang, I'm surprised she caught onto that plan. Also, holy crap that girl can throw far._

Reminding himself again to never be on the receiving end of a full powered Yang punch, Jaune stretched out his arms and managed to catch the falling girl with a grunt of effort. The shocked look on her face was completely priceless.

"Just dropping in?"

 _Kill yourself, brain. Kill yourself._

Weiss looked at him with an expression of gratefulness and slight awe. Look cool during Initiation? Check. Win the heart of a fair maiden? … Work in progress.

 _Now stick the landing like a boss._

Jaune felt gravity take him and he began to downward, though, this fall was nowhere near as daunting as the one he went through earlier last week or even just a few hours ago. Jaune could easily land this with minimum aura lost, though it would seem his unspoken partner in crime felt the need to give some assistance with the landing strategy. The boy let out a girlish scream as a blond ball of energy tackled him out the air.

Yang laughed as her feet hit the ground, her arms full of both Jaune and the perplexed girl in Jaune's arms. "Uh, Yang, I had that under control."

"Uhuh. But I wouldn't be me if I let the chance to hold two cuties at once pass up."

Despite himself, Jaune felt a blush creep up his neck. It seemed Weiss wasn't doing any better in that regard. Finally, she spoke up. "Miss Xiao-Long, please put down Mister Arc?"

Yang looked like she wanted to say more – most likely to tease – but she complied and put Jaune down. "Thank you. Now Mister Arc, would you please put me down?"

It was only then that the Hunter-in-training became aware of the smooth skin of Weiss' legs resting against his palms. She was light - not as light as Ruby - but still amazingly so. Fighting past his teenage hormonal wonderment, Jaune placed the girl down. She nodded to him politely but wouldn't make eye contact.

 _Win the heart of a fair maiden… Work in progress._

"Okay now to find B-" Jaune cut himself off as he looked up to see a black figure be thrown off the giant Nevermore. Unlike the girl in white, Blake wasn't flailing at all, in fact, she seemed to be in perfect landing position. Nora apparently didn't hold the same opinion because the ginger haired girl skyrocketed into the air higher than humanly possible and snatched the girl out the air. Funny enough, it was _then_ that Blake started flailing.

"Great. Now to take it out." Jaune, Yang, and Weiss jogged over to where everyone else was gathered in the field, the first two former holding in chuckles at the blush coating Blake's face as Nora put her down. Weiss rolled her eyes but didn't say anything, instead, turning to the task at hand. Jaune could get behind that attitude.

Jaune saw everyone turn and look at Ruby. Jaune turned as well, barely catching the final part of her sentence. "… can we do to stop it?"

 _Hmm, I guess we could just attempt to lure it closer to the ground and then attack it our long-range hitters. Though I'm not sure if anyone here has the kind of firepower needed. Maybe if I knew everyone's semblance then-_

Jaune's eyes widened as he saw the Nevermore gain a bit more height and flap its wings harder than necessary. "Scatter!"

A moment later, a barrage of razor sharp quills was sent towards the group of seven. The aim of the avian Grimm was uncanny, the feathers nearly skewering Jaune, Ren, and Weiss had they not been as agile as they were. Ren was able to backflip out the way and land a few meters away, Weiss projected a black symbol of sorts underneath her feet and quickly speed to the side, and Jaune – ever the minimalist – simply stepped to the side a bit to avoid what would either be a complete aura draining attack or sure death. The others scattered as well, though they could have stayed still and been fine.

It seemed that was all it took to have others begin returning fire. Pink explosions began going off around the Nevermore, some of the grenades hitting home on the Grimm and causing it to stagger in the sky. Smaller scale explosions were happening around it as well, courtesy of Yang, Weiss, and Ruby. Blake, Ren, and Jaune himself could do little more than watch, not having attacks that could reach that height or in Jaune's case, having a limited supply of offensive Dust. That was fine. The blond boy was currently formulating an ingenious plan.

"It's going to attack again!" Screamed Jaune, noticing the telltale sign of another feather barrage. Everyone scattered, this time everyone was nearly sliced in half by the deadly projectiles. Jaune made sure to keep an eye out for one person, however.

 _Bingo._

Jaune made his way over to Weiss, while the others began returning fire again. "Weiss, can you make things go fast?"

Weiss looked his way with a raised eyebrow, but upon seeing his seriousness, answered. "Yes, my glyphs can 'make things go fast' as you would put it."

"Can you use it on the Nevermore?"

"Use it on the… You want me to make it _faster?!_ Are you out of your dunce mind!"

Huh, that was a new one. "No, no, no. Just on its wings. I want you to make the _wings_ beat faster!"

Weiss gave him a perplexed look. "… I'm not sure if this idea is genius or idiocy."

 _/-/_

Pyrrha was disappointed, to say the least. Every single person that approached her this morning and yesterday had been a fan, either wanting to take pictures or asking to be on her team. It was the type of faceless flattery that she'd left Mistral to avoid. Not to mention all of them had been dressed in black, as if color coordinated, which was weird. Possibly a Vale tradition she was not familiar with.

The undefeated girl had hoped to meet someone that didn't know of her fame or cereal, but anyone oblivious to her fame simply didn't care enough to speak to her. Likely caught up in preparing mentally for today, and weren't feeling super social.

 _Or maybe everyone knew who I was and the people that stayed away simply did so because they were scared. Scared of the 'Invincible Girl'._

Her inner turmoil had the effect of sending small groups of Grimm her way, though they hardly were a challenge. The only human – or she assumed it was human – contact she'd had was a gray and gold blur that ran past her a few minutes ago at speeds that could make a Bullhead jealous. How anyone could run through a forest like that and not trip was beyond her knowledge.

 _What if I don't find a partner?_

The only thing she could do was find the temple and hope there were some others that hadn't been paired up. Mathematically speaking, the odds of there being someone not paired up yet was…50 percent? Anyway, there was no time to think about that. Pyrrha finally reached the tree line and made it to a large opening. The sounds of battle sounds of battle reached her ears a moment later along with a rather interesting display.

Far off in the distance, Pyrrha could make out a stone structure laden in moss. If that wasn't the temple she didn't know what was. Near said temple was seven…what she assumed to be people running around and shooting weapons into the sky. Wait. They were shooting at a giant Grimm bird.

While Pyrrha could have gone without the Grimm, she couldn't help but admit they she totally lucked out. Not only had she spotted the temple, but it also seemed that there was an odd number of fellow Hunters-in-training fighting, which meant one person wasn't paired up yet. Success! The champion quickly began running toward the battle scene, happy to help who would be her future classmates.

The first person to look the red head's way was a handsome blond boy that seemed to only carry a sword-gun. Well, Pyrrha didn't _know_ that it was a sword gun, but this was Remnant. Every weapon was also a gun, even a gun-gun.

"…Okay, everyone. Know the plan?" Pyrrha just caught the last bit of the conversation it seemed. Every was nodding at the blond boy's words and the blond female even gave out an 'aye aye' in response. Well, it was clear who had taken on the leader role.

"Um, what plan?"

Everyone turned and looked at the champion, who suddenly felt a bit subconscious. She'd seen everyone here sitting together at breakfast, so they were probably already friends and she was just an interloper. The uneasiness melted a bit when she got a few smiles and nods.

"We need to find some high ground to take out Big Bird up there," explained a gingered haired girl in pink with a smile. The smile stayed present even as a giant feather nearly cut her in two and she was forced to jump out the way.

 _That makes sense. Wait, wasn't there seven people?_

"Guys!"

The collective group turned to see a red-clad girl standing on a slight incline some ways away. "There is a really tall tower thing over here!"

The blond boy looked over to the blonde girl. A wordless conversation happened that ended with the leader nodding. "Let's move!"

Everyone started running to the girl in red's position. The Nevermore following closely from the sky, screeching loudly every so often. Everyone present paid the bird little mind, focused on following the small girl in front who was waving the others in the right directions. It wasn't long before the large stone structure of a most likely long dead civilization came into view.

"Blake, take your partner to that high spiral over there. We'll distract the Nevermore for as long as possible in the meantime."

The girl in nodded at the blond boy's words. She and Weiss – Pyrrha recognized her as the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company – ran off, everyone else staying back to fire at the Nevermore. The Champion, going along with everyone else, turned Milo into its rifle form and began firing as well. Every now and then, a barrage of feathers would rain down upon the group, forcing them to scatter and counter-fire.

"Hold your fire!"

Everyone looked over at the blond-haired boy. "Be prepared to attack if this plan fails, but I think we're done here."

 _Huh? The Nevermore is still alive. In fact, it is gaining altitude right now! It's… flapping its wings faster and… huh?_

Pyrrha, rightly confused, looked over to the high tower many meters away that overlooked the area. Weiss Schnee and her partner were standing there, the heiress with her sword outstretched at the giant avian Grimm, that seemed to beat its wings continuously faster and hover in its position. It wasn't long before the giant bird began to squawk in frustration and perhaps even pain if Grimm could even feel such a thing.

Feathers began to rain down again, however, this time they floated and fluttered in the air instead of being launched downward. Soon a cloud of plumage was slowly descending from the sky, this cloud being followed by the now wingless Nevermore falling from the heavens into the large chasm below. It would seem that the feathers and wings folded in on themselves from the stress of flapping 5 times the normal speed. No one heard the beast hit the ground because of the massive depth of the abyss the ruins were situated on, though everyone saw the feathers sticking out of the ground begin to dissolve – a sign the Grimm must have met its end.

 _Well, that was a bit anticlimactic._

"Good work team," spoke the blonde girl. "That's what we call winging it."

/-/

It had been a slight inconvenience to go back to the temple to pick a relic - more embarrassing than anything because the others waited for her and Blake to return - but luckily there were no Grimm to slow them down. Speaking of, Weiss' partner barely spoke a word, though it wasn't like the heiress had been trying to make conversation either. Yang did that enough for the whole company, with Jaune occasionally humoring her - something he really needed to not do. Thank goodness her pun-ologue had been cut short by the Bullhead coming to pick them up and take them back to Beacon.

"...Team Cardinal. Led by Cardin Winchester."

The obligatory applause from the audience woke Weiss up from her thoughts, not to mention the small nudge she received from Ruby. The fifteen-year-old was almost vibrating with anticipation. The heiress couldn't blame the girl - this was a huge moment for both of their lives - however, she still needed to maintain a composed imagine. She could be a giddy schoolgirl on the inside.

"Lie Ren, Yang Xiao-Long, Nora Valkyrie, and Pyrrha Nikos. By the power invested in me, I now declare you Team Raven."

The letters on the board came together as **RYVN** with Ren at the front. Ozpin sipped his coffee before continuing. "Led by Lie Ren. Congratulations young man."

Ren didn't look happy. As someone who had been forced to practice facial expressions and had been taught to recognize them, Weiss could tell he was trying with all his might not to frown so violently it breaks his jaw. Yang, possibly realizing this, slung an arm over his shoulder.

"Cheer up partner."

Not only did this fail to cheer the boy up, but now Nora was fro- no wait, she was smiling. Though wow did that smile look forced. All the while Pyrrha was chuckling nervously. Hopefully, that team wouldn't burn itself to the ground. Team Raven left the stage, leaving only Jaune, Ruby, Blake, and herself. _Guess this is it._ The prideful area of Weiss's brain - or what remained of it - said she might be selected to be the leader of her team. More than that - she _deserved_ to be the leader of her team. Though she squashed that thought with the recollection of Sinbad. Not to mention it was pretty clear who would be chosen anyway. The only person who actually displayed any leader qualities during initiation.

"Ruby Rose, Jaune Arc, Weiss Schnee, and Blake Belladonna. Please come forward."

The four walked forward, Jaune doing so with them in partial thanks to Ozpin using sign language while speaking. "You have proven yourselves worthy. I now bestow onto you the team name Robbie!"

The letters formed together to make **RAWB** with Ruby at the front. "And this team will be led by Ruby Rose. Congratulations young lady."

 _What the heck?_

"Alright, classes begin tomorrow and everything you need will be provided, goodnight." Ozpin then headed off stage, his cane not even hitting the floor. The absence of the Headmaster had the effect of the crowd dispersing and heading to the exits, everyone justly tired and more than happy to find their rooms.

"Hey, guys…"

Weiss along with everyone else turned to see Jaune scratching his head.

"What's a Robbie? Is that a color or something?"

Nobody knew the answer, so Jaune proceeded to get ignored, everyone either shrugging or just ready for the day to be over. Yang - fulfilling her sisterly duty - went and hugged Ruby tightly and exclaimed, "I'm so proud of you!"

Despite herself, the scene warmed Weiss' heart. It was made all the sweeter by her new leader - and wasn't that a shock - attempting to push her older sister away and pretend the intimate contact bothered her.

"Well, I'm heading back to the dorm," exclaimed Blake, who had been a silent observer until now. "We do have classes tomorrow."

"Yes, it would be wise to get to bed early. Yang, we're heading to the room," said Ren, more informing the blond girl than actually telling her to hurry up.

"Okay, I'll be there! Me and Jaune just need to have a quick chat."

Jaune, who clearly hadn't been told about this prior was grabbed by his hoodie and dragged away. The scariest part was that the boy didn't even protest and allowed himself to be dragged away from the group. "See you guys at in the dorm."

Ruby smiled and nodded, rushing off to follow Blake and Weiss. The newly formed team Raven, minus one blond, followed close behind. It seemed that they were heading to the same hallway. As they came upon the room, the feeling of fatigue finally kicked in. By the time Blake got the door open and they waved goodnight to Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha, she was ready to collapse on the bed and hit the hay immediately.

 _Screw it, we can unpack and decorate tomorrow._

It would seem everyone else had mentally heard and agreed, for even Ruby - who had been nothing but chipper - suppressed a yawn.

"Okay, I'll take the bed closest to the bathroom." Of course, that wasn't so she'd have a better chance of getting the shower first tomorrow. Surely not.

Blake nodded, taking her bag - it had been brought to the room for them - and heading to the bathroom. Unlike the dark haired girl, Ruby didn't seem to have any misgivings about changing into her pajamas in front of Weiss. The heiress quickly changed as well, thanking heaven above that Jaune came into the dorm after they were done.

"Yo."

"And where were you?"

Jaune yawned. "Sorry Weiss, we'll have to pass on unpacking, I'm kinda tired." The boy then unceremoniously face planted on the bed closest to the door. It took a moment - and the giggling of Ruby - to realize he dodged the question entirely. She also had a sneaking suspicion it wasn't a case of not properly lip reading either.

 _These people will be the death of me._

/-/

"I don't understand you Ozpin."

The Headmaster looked up from the scroll he had been listening to. "Hmm? Whatever do you mean Glynda?"

The Deputy Headmistress signed and rubbed her face, deciding to sit down. "I'm talking about the Arc boy. I'll admit I was skeptical at first despite your confidence. It's all the more puzzling he wasn't made team leader then."

Ozpin smiled and passed his scroll over the counter to his second in command as if it had the answer she sought. Instead of that, it was a video playing on a loop of Ruby Rose standing on an incline and pointing.

"Ozpin, I swear to…"

"That is the point of a leader Glynda. Now I ask you to trust that I've made the right decision, just as I did with the Arc boy."

The women stared at her boss with an incredulous glare. One which demanded he actually answer or his life could become a living Hell very quickly. The Headmaster sighed and took a sip of coffee from a mug that never ran out and was omnipresent in relation to the man who owned it.

"There was also the matter of not being able to find a suitable team name that started with J."

The blonde-haired professor sighed. "And that's what I thought. What is a Robbie anyway?"

Ozpin sipped his coffee again. The older man removed a small pocket dictionary and slid it towards the older women. Glynda - her brow already in mid-furrow - turned to the bookmarked page and stared at the page for a long time, attempting to ward off the stroke developing.

"As you can see Glynda, it is a palette of blue."

"Ozpin… this is written in crayon."

* * *

 **A/N:** Done. This chapter was extremely tricky to write and I still am not completely sure about it. It was easily the most rewritten of them all. If you have any questions leave them in the Reviews or PM me and I'll be happy to try and answer them. Anyway, Yang and Jaune aren't partners. I'm sure some of you will be upset at this but I assure it happened for a reason. Don't worry, they certainly will continue to interact. Next chapter shouldn't take as long to come out as this one and expect to see even more divergence from canon. The next story Arc will begin soon.

Also, no, Ren and Nora are not dating. I'll also address that Jaune was not picked for leader in this story for purely plot-related reasons. His deafness was a factor in that decision as well and it will be explained more in the next chapter.


	7. First Day of Many

Chapter 7: Day One of Many

Beta: Shad0wReaper133

* * *

The first day at Beacon wasn't something that came with much fanfare. There'd been enough of that yesterday after all. No, when one looked back on their first day at Beacon - barring the nervousness of being in a new place - it was simply a regular day. Many of the freshmen wouldn't have figured out the proper sleep schedule or layout of the school, so a great many were late to their first class. On the opposite end of the spectrum, many woke up too early and would remain groggy the rest of the day. The teachers, creatures of habit when it came to classroom dictation, ultimately left the first day feeling quite standard. Especially in hindsight.

To their credit, the teachers treated each day as they had for the past decade. This included the first day where - excluding the odd two-minute introduction - they went about their classes like they always would. Oobleck would lecture and give homework. Port would "lecture" on Grimm through personal experience and then go on to call someone down to fight a Grimm. This was often a highlight of the first day at the moment, though it usually was never recalled as such later because he did this at the start of every week. Peach would go straight into Dust theory – sometimes with no introduction to speak of mind you - and expect everyone to keep up... then give homework from chapter 3. Goodwitch might have been the only outlier in this entire routine of keeping the first day of the school routine.

Of course, this was no effort on her part. She conducted each fight the same and stated the rules before each fight. No, she didn't make the class special and stir up the feeling of electric anxiety within students upon being called down to fight. Miss Goodwitch could certainly strike fear into the hearts of first years and fourth years alike, though the swell of anticipation before partaking in battle - no matter how vetted - was something that wasn't forgotten. Upon looking back, everyone remembers the first fights, whether they fought or not. Some said it even defined their time at Beacon.

Placing so much importance on a singular day and, for the most part, resting it on a singular class was in itself ludicrous. However, because this was the case, Ozpin had always stressed to Glynda to match students of similar skill on the first day to the best of her abilities. There had to be winners and losers of course, but a one-sided battle didn't help anyone. It was a good thing there wasn't anyone at an extreme disadvantage skill wise, as had been the case in past years.

" _Bzzzzt! Buzzzt!"_

Ozpin came out of his thoughts and looked down at the scroll in his lap. The sun had yet to rise over the city of Vale, though midnight had passed a few hours ago. Maybe only thirty minutes till sunrise on the first day of the new semester. He could already tell it would be quite the eventful next few weeks.

" _Bzzzzt! Bzzzzt! Bzz-"_

Ozpin finally answered. "Good morning, Specialist Schnee."

"Good Morning, Headmaster Ozpin. As this is the time we specified on, I'm reporting in."

After a few seconds of silence, the Headmaster realized she was waiting for permission to speak. With a tired voice, he said, "You may continue." The reasoning behind this was to give the man time to dismiss anyone who may be in the office or something similar. Still wasn't something Ozpin used to.

"I have successfully settled in my quarters. I have also set up the surveillance equipment adequately and surveyed the perimeter."

"Very good." Ozpin looked at Winter and tried to discern if any hints of emotion within her eyes betrayed a line of thought or displeasure. There was none to be found. "I see you have sufficiently disguised yourself. I do hope cutting your hair wasn't too high a price to pay."

The eldest of the Schnee daughters didn't flinch in her response. "Orders are orders." There was no disdain in her voice or anything resembling a personal opinion. Ozpin sighed. He would never have fathomed there'd be a day he missed Qrow's mission updates.

"Anything else to report, Specialist Schnee?"

"No."

"Very good then. Your teammate is still being assigned, Specialist Schnee. I trust you shall be okay till then?"

"It will not be a problem, Headmaster Ozpin."

"Very good. I must be going now. Have a safe day, Specialist Schnee." The Atlas militant nodded curtly and cut the connection. Ozpin sighed and removed his glasses before rubbing the sleep from his eyes. This was despite the fact he didn't get any sleep last night or the night before. Just as Ozpin rested the circular spectacles back on his face, he saw the first vestiges of sunlight peeking out from the horizon.

The elevator door opened and was followed by the loud clicking of heels on the floor. The Headmaster didn't bother turning around and simply waited for his Deputy to speak. "Did Specialist Schnee call in yet?"

"Yes. She has settled in nicely. Or at least the girl doesn't seem bothered by this whole arrangement... Glynda, I hope you'll excuse me if I'm a touch preoccupied for the foreseeable future."

"Of course, Ozpin."

"Thank you."

The Deputy Headmistress waited a few more seconds before retreating back to the elevator and leaving. Ozpin sighed again as the sun rose slowly over the city.

/-/

Rising early was routine for Jaune, so it wasn't much of a problem for his first day at Beacon. In fact, it was great because it meant just like at home he was able to take the first shower of the day. Being in a room full of girls, this skill would most likely be invaluable. However, in his smugness, or rather brazen idiocy, he had forgotten his towel... and had forgone unpacking clothes last night. Whoops. So, it was with a slight blush of embarrassment - despite no one seeing him - Jaune dried off with the help of a white blow dryer left in the bathroom and put on his stiff uniform.

 _Gee, what a great start to the day._

He walked out the bathroom to see his teammates getting ready. Jaune unconsciously signed a 'good morning' and walked over to his bags. It took him a few minutes of rifling through his belongings to remember that his teammates didn't know sign language.

"Uh, good morning team," mumbled out the boy, feeling a bit embarrassed. A few seconds after this, he realized he probably missed their morning greetings by not looking at their lips. _Whatever, it's too early for this bullshit anyway._ His already soured mood worsened and the hunter-in-training aggressively pulled out supplies for his classes. Looking up, he saw that Ruby seemed to be giving a speech or something to the team. In her enthusiasm, she might have forgotten he couldn't hear. Or maybe she'd just decided to catch him up later. Whatever the case, Jaune caught the tail end of it.

"...And so, let's do our best out there, team Robbie!"

Jaune went back to what he was doing. _Whatever I guess._ He looked at the time on his stroll and saw there were only 3 minutes left before breakfast, so they should probably get a move on. Looking back up he saw they were, in fact, getting a move on and he was the one going to get left behind. Picking up the pace he left the room along with the three girls. All was quiet behind the adjacent door where Yang's team resided, so Jaune guessed they must have already left and headed to breakfast. _Huh, they must really have their act together already to achieve such efficiency. Ren must run a tight shift._

"Hey, so what do you think they'll be serving?" Jaune looked at his team as he spoke, watching intently to see if any of them would say a thing. Weiss spoke up first.

"Well, seeing as 10% of Beacon's budget is set aside for food in an average year, I'd say we will get a choice of at least three meats, two fruits, two vegetables, and various types of starches and carbohydrates."

Everyone stared blankly at the girl. "Why and how do you know all that?"

Weiss looked back somewhat aghast. "Don't tell me none of you thought to check out the school you'd be spending the next few years at?"

 _Well, when she puts it like that…_

"I was happier they'd even consider letting me in at all. Ruby, did you check?"

Jaune's partner scratched her chin before shaking her head in the negative. "This place was closest to home... plus it's where most of my family went to train as hunters. Just seemed appropriate. Blake, did you read up on Beacon?"

Blake pressed her lips together but otherwise kept a blanketed expression. "Yeah, it was closest."

Weiss shook her head in annoyance but quickly stopped. "Jaune's reason I understand considering his... circumstances, though the rest of you should have at least opened up their homepage."

"It was so hard to navigate though."

"Ruby... front page. Literally front page."

Before this line of conversation could go any further, they finally happened upon the cafeteria. Jaune's sensitive nose quickly caught on to a cornucopia of delicious smells coming from the freshmen line. Speaking of which, it seemed the lines were split into three different sections based on class. Except for seniors, who had no line to speak of. Odd. Before he could think of this anymore, Ruby grabbed him by the arm and led him to the freshmen line.

True to what Weiss had said, there was quite the selection - far more than yesterday before classes officially started. Eggs, bacon, sausages, biscuits, pancakes, yogurt, cereals, and the list went on. While his team stayed pretty limited in what they got, Jaune got just about everything he could. How could he not when the ultimate joy of breakfast was staring him in the face. It wasn't just foods either. Hot water, coffee, cold brews, _thé au lait_. Beacon was foodie paradise!

After filling their plates, team RAWB found a spot to sit at near the entrance. Contrary to what Jaune had guessed, team RYVN was nowhere to be found. If they didn't hurry they'd surely be late for the first class with Professor Port. "Hey Ruby, is Yang an early riser?" Jaune asked after swallowing down a mouthful of food. Ruby, who was deeply invested in a pile of french toast answered.

"No." Then went back to eating. _Huh, well if the rest of her team is the same, then I guess they might be screwed._ Welp, Jaune could only worry about himself and his own team at the moment, so he kept on chowing down until the plate was clean and he was satisfied for the morning. As he finished up, Jaune noticed the rest of his team had also mostly finished their meals and were getting ready to leave and head to Port's class early. Maybe it was partially because Weiss kept giving them an 'are you done?' look. The proper princess - as Jaune would now refer to her in his head - was already showing her colors as a stickler for being prompt and punctual. Well, whatever, being 10 minutes early never hurt anyone. Never helped anyone either…

As they were about get up and leave, Team Raven rushed through the entrance. It was Nora leading the pack with the team leader in tow, while Pyrrha and Yang trailed behind. The two girls looked like they'd been hit with the sandman's satchel because, wow, did they look tired. However, it didn't even come close to Ren, who was _still asleep!_

 _Did Nora dress him? So many questions._

"Hey Weiss, can we stay a bit longer?" Weiss seemed perturbed that they might be late on the first day of class, but looking at how much time they had, she shrugged and slowed her roll. A few moments later, Team Raven crashed headlong onto their table and began eating quickly. Nora with an inexplicably large stack of pancakes, Ren - who had woken up at some point during the rush - with a modest portion of eggs and assorted fruit, Yang, who had indulged in every sort of breakfast meat available, and finally Pyrrha, who had a similar plate to Ren but with a few choice bits of pastry. Everyone from team Raven sat in front of Team Robbie, Yang in front of Jaune, Ren in front of Blake, Pyrrha in front of Ruby, and Nora in front of Weiss.

Out of his peripherals, Jaune noticed Ruby talking to Pyrrha. "...early riser huh?"

"No, not naturally," answered the champion with a smile. "I usually set my alarm, but it seemed in all of the excitement yesterday it slipped my mind. As it did my teammates as well."

Yang didn't respond immediately, swallowing down a mouth full before giving a defense. "Being on a team is all about trust. Case in point, I figured someone would wake me up. Think of it as a bonding exercise."

"Your ability to say bull like that with such confidence astounding," complimented Jaune, who was the only one - other than Yang herself - who thought of it as a compliment. In fact, she peened over his words as if they were a badge of honor.

She mouthed the words to him, "Thank you, I try my best," getting a chuckle from her blond friend. Weiss more than likely would have been disappointed on a few levels at the display, though she was too busy being disgusted at the show Nora was putting on in front of her, eating two of the syrupy treats at a time. Jaune turned his attention to Ren, who'd nearly finished his assorted fruit.

"So, I take you aren't an early riser either?"

Ren passively shook his head in the negative. _Poor guy._ Jaune's feelings of sadness for Ren were interrupted when Ruby tapped him on the shoulder and alerted him to the fact his team was about to leave the room. Jaune nodded and stood. Team Raven did the same, not keen on being late for class.

They threw away their paper plates and exited the cafeteria, full and ready for the day. As they walked down the hall, Jaune's scroll buzzed. He took it out of pocket and smiled at the message on the screen.

 _What do you think Port's class will be like?_

Jaune looked over to the blond bruiser but a few footsteps away and raised an eyebrow before typing back. _Grimm Studies? Will probably be epic._

 _/-/_

 _Holy crap was Jaune wrong._

After a brief introduction was given about who he was, Port launched into an exaggerated speech about the pure ethics of Grimm hunting, while at the same time adding little tidbits that related to his own life. _Let's hope it won't be a trend._ To be honest, a class about Grimm studies sounded like it should be the most interesting - excluding sparring class of course. Though this was the first class of the semester, so it made sense that it would start out a bit boring.

Actually, now that she paid attention closely, Yang took back the thought that this class was _completely_ boring. The wild motions of Professor Port's arms and hands were genuinely hilarious. He was obviously doing sign language for the benefit of Jaune, but it was ridiculous to the point that Yang even wondered if this was in fact proper method. Looking around the class, she could see a few other students had noticed and were looking with captivated eyes at the display. More than a few were even holding in snickers.

To add to the ludicrousness, Port seemed to notice how captivated people were, fed off it, and in return became even more animated till the point of becoming an interpretive dance. Looking at the members of Team Robbie below her, they seemed to be amused by what was happening, but unlike most of the class, didn't seem surprised. To be expected. Jaune himself was grinning ear to ear and writing down notes.

"Well, it does my heart glad to see such a diligent bunch this year. I'm positive we'll be getting along just fine and have even more fun. With that, I have a special treat for you all. Who would like a chance to test their resolve against mankind's greatest enemies?"

As he finished his sentence as if on cue, one of the dormant cages beside the large man rattled violently. _Okay, has that thing been rattling this entire time? How'd I miss that?_

No one raised their hand initially. Yang didn't blame them. No one really wanted to stand out on the first day, in the first class no less. Even if most, if not everyone, in the class was capable of killing one Grimm - especially one small enough to fit in a small cage - stage fright and nerves would play a big part. After three seconds, Yang went to raise her hand but stopped when another name was called.

"Ruby Rose, thank you for volunteering!" Boomed the Professor, inviting her to go and retrieve her weapons from her locker. Yang lowered her hand and watched her beaming sister speed out the room. Well, wasn't like that was surprising. While the class waited for Ruby's to return, Yang turned to her partner to see how he was holding up. Ren was in the process of listening to Nora whisper something while he wrote down a few of the things Port had mentioned about the course curriculum. Looking further down, she saw Pyrrha also seemed to be busying herself with something. She hadn't really gotten the chance to talk much with any of her teammates - not that there was much of a chance to yet - but they all seemed like a nice bunch. For example how Yang could easily guess that Ren and Nora had been planning to team-up during initiation, though Ren had helped her at the cost of not being with his friend.

 _Actually, I don't think I ever got a chance to properly thank him... ugh, and here I am always reminding Ruby to remember her manners. Guess I'll have to fix that after classes are over today._

While pondering this, Ruby re-entered the class with her combat gear on and her scythe out. She looked confident in her abilities, as she should be. Ruby might have been a bit socially awkward at times, but the heat of battle was where she'd always shine.

The leader walked into the arena and waited for Port to explain how this would proceed. Port's explanation consisted of bashing the lock open with his axe and yelling, "Let the match begin!"

A moderately sized Boarbatusk bolted out the cage and ran straight for Ruby, who dashed out of the way with contemptible ease, leaving only a trail of rose petals. While the monster attempted to stop and turn around, Ruby was able to get four rounds off in its unarmored backside. The Grimm was slowed by the assault, three-inch bullets being lodged in its back and all.

"Whoo, go Ruby!" Yang found herself shouting, cheering her sister on. The blonde girl looked down to see Jaune smiling at the display her sister was putting, though he stayed silent.

The Boarbatusk raced forward again, though unlike last time, Ruby ran to meet it. Before the two clashed, however, the girl activated her semblance again and dashed to the side, missing the Grimm by mere inches. Though she did this in conjunction with keeping her scythe blade low, scoring deep cuts on the fleshy part of two legs.

"Great technique, Ms. Rose!" Complemented Port.

With its legs badly injured and along with the injury of its spine, the Grimm wasn't able to stop its own momentum this time around and tumbled over itself awkwardly. Seeing her chance, Ruby went in for the kill and landed a direct hit on the beast's belly, killing it instantly. All in all, the fight had lasted less than a minute.

Port, along with the class, clapped for the girl who, now out of battle mode, noticed the audience and became bashful at the attention. As she made her way back to her spot beside Jaune, Port began wrapping up the class. "Well, that is all the time we have for today. Remember your reading passages and I'll see you all tomorrow."

 _Wait, we got assigned reading passages? When?_

Leaving the question for later meditation, Yang did her sisterly duty of doting on her sister. As the two teams, along with everyone in the class filed out, Yang grabbed Ruby and hugged her tightly. "You were so good! Everyone was so jealous! Right Jaune?" She said, smacking the Dust Mage with a free arm and nearly throwing him into a wall.

"What the heck?!"

"See, Jaune agrees, too." Ruby blushed harder and finally squirmed out of her sisters hold. The shenanigans got a smile out of everyone, even from the silent Blake and passive Ren. Well, Jaune wasn't smiling but he'd be fine.

 _Huh, that wasn't so bad for a first class, minus the whole mystery passage we have to read. I wonder if history class will be as good?"_

/-/

Weiss liked her team, as odd as it sounded to say internally. As usual, she'd been quite ready to listen to Winter's advice and give them a chance. It helped that her pride and past arrogance was still in metaphorical pieces. Of course, it wasn't perfect. While she liked Blake well enough, the girl was quiet and kept to herself, which was something the heiress could respect. Though she'd knew it be hard for them to grow close, something Winter had said was imperative to a good partnership.

As for Jaune and Ruby, she was confident they would be easy to get along with, as had been proven already. Her leader seemed a bit of a dunce, but as seen in Port's class was capable enough. Jaune - who she had assumed would be the leader - was sociable and friendly. The only flaw was his deafness. An extremely capable deaf person, probably his way of compensating, though deaf all the same. He'd proven to be an asset during Initiation and Ruby seemed to think highly of his skill already, but it still concerned her. In all honesty, Weiss doubted it would ever go away, unlike her initial, but short-lived, trepidation at a fifteen-year-old being the leader.

Weiss shook her head, pushing the thought back for a better time. Right now, Professor Oobleck was giving a lecture on Remnant during prehistory. On the first day of class. She could already tell this would be a class one could not mentally slack off in. Diligently, she scribbled her pen in time with his fast-moving words. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the rest of her team was also taking notes... or trying anyway. _Well, that's something at least._

Blake - unlike her own way of note taking - seemed to be great at paraphrasing what the Professor was saying, therefore minimizing the speed at which she needed to write. Very impressive and it once again validated in her head that Blake would prove to be a useful teammate and partner later. Ruby seemed to capable of keeping up with Professor Oobleck's words. However, for whatever reason, she would occasionally stop taking notes in favor of staring in base amazement.

 _What's so impressive about-_

It was then Weiss realized she'd been looking down this entire time. Just like Professor Port, it seemed the teachers were accommodating Jaune by signing along with their speech. However, just like how Port signed as expressively as he talked, Oobleck signed as fast as he talked. Which was _fast._ So fast in fact, Weiss half expected him to be weaving a ninjutsu finger seal instead of actual language. Looking around the room, she saw many were equally entranced by the movements. Then she looked at Jaune…

His eyes were bloodshot, mouth slightly agape, face twitching. It didn't take an expert to tell that this was a struggle for him. Though he diligently attempted to keep up with the rapid pace Oobleck set, not even taking the time to blink. Ruby and Blake seemed to notice as well because every so often they would glance in his direction in concern, unsure whether try and get his attention or not.

"And so, the continents shifted and what we see of modern Remnant geography was born. Can anyone tell me the name of that shift? Anyone?"

Weiss turned away from Jaune, perking up at the opportunity to answer a question. In Professor Port's room, she'd been tempted to volunteer as well. However, she'd gotten nervous at the very thought, a few hints of nausea even coming up. That was something she still needed to work through and looking like a fool in front of the class in the chance she froze up didn't sound pleasant. But this was history, so she confidently raised her hand.

"Yes, Ms. Schnee."

"Transcontinental Drifting."

"Excellent answer. I hope all you were listening because..."

The heiress beamed at the praise and went back to taking notes. It felt nice to show off her knowledge and superiority... um, diligence _._ Weiss, intent on not letting distractions - like personality confusion and self-doubt - cloud her thoughts while in class, put them aside with the growing list of things to ponder later. Right now, it seemed Oobleck was going through the early history of Remnant first and going through it quite fast. Understandable, seeing as the much more complex things like interpersonal relationships between races and the Kingdom politics would take longer. Most of this was remedial anyway, seeing as everyone learned this kind of stuff in primary school.

"Thus, we shall get into the discovery of Dust, Aura, and Grimm all this week. As for now, we have another thirty minutes left in this class, so I'm going to give out a little test, just to gauge the level of knowledge you are beginning with. However, it will still be graded with the same level of scrutiny as any other test."

A collective groan went up and immediately died with one glare from the professor. After that, he walked down the aisles and handed off the test to the last person on each row, who would take one from the stack and pass it down. Once it got into the heiress' hands, she sucked in a small breath. It was five pages front and back, covering most of what they would be studying in this class for the first semester. Most of it was things she knew. The other 40% could be guessed... _I refuse to have this be my first B._

Weiss did a quick look around the room and saw that everyone was starting rather slow. Some, like Jaune, had started on a different page, having skipped the first page entirely. Ruby seemed to have re-read the first question a few times now and Blake looked to be stumped on the third question, despite having blown through the first two. Steeling her nerves, she looked at the first question.

 _Where was the first negotiation between Faunus and humans held? Please also explain how this eventually correlated with the Color War._

Right. Weiss was somewhat familiar with the question, having studied Faunus relations quite extensively. She answered it to the best of her abilities and moved on. The second question was also related to Faunus relations, so she didn't struggle on that either. The next couple were about the start of Remnant and the Kingdoms, and after that, there were many questions about the different wars that had been fought and how they affected expansion. Just as she finished the last question the bell rang.

 _Whoo, that was close. At least I was able to answer every question, though._ Looking around, she saw a lot of people rushing to finish, while others simply resigned to their fate.

"Hmm, seems we're out of time for today. Everyone, hand in your test on the way out and have a nice day. Make sure you complete the assigned reading as well."

After that test, saying 'have a good day' almost seemed like sarcasm. This would definitely be a class she wouldn't be able to slack off in. Not like she would do it anyway, difficult or not. Hopefully, her team would feel the same way. Looking at said team, their levels of confidence wasn't looking too high. Except for Blake, though she usually kept the same expression regardless.

"Hey Weiss, how do you think you did?" Ruby asked, managing a smile.

"I'm perfectly confident in my grade. You?"

"Oh, well… hehe, you know."

Weiss raised an eyebrow, indeed 'knowing.' Knowing that her teammate clearly wasn't confident in her performance. _Well… I guess no one can be perfect at the beginning I suppose._

Jaune, who looked like a reanimated corpse, turned to Blake and asked how'd she do. "Well, I think I did good enough for not knowing it was coming. You Jaune?" She pointed along with the question to make it easier for him to understand what she was saying.

"Ah, well… what's the opposite of good?"

"Grimm?" Commented Ruby, who had made sure to stay in his field of version.

"Yeah, that's it. I did very Grimm on that test, Ruby."

The four walked out the room along with the others, meeting up with team RYVN in the hallway. None of them looked particularly happy, even Nora appearing a little slighted. Yang - always the master of social commentary and doctorate level wordsmithing - summed up the feelings of them all in one sentence. "Well, that was a whole lot of suck."

"Agreed, Yang." Chirped Nora.

Pyrrha opened her mouth to comment but closed it a moment later. Seemed her thoughts had been voiced pretty well. Weiss turned to Ren, the leader and noticeably quiet member of team RYVN. "How do you think you performed, Ren?"

"I believe I did alright. Though I doubt anyone did as well as they would have wished." An intelligent answer. The girl was honestly surprised the Champion besides Nora seemed so insecure about her grade. _She's probably being modest, not wanting her team to feel bad._

Yang suggested they head to the lunchroom, seeing as Oobleck's two-hour long lecture hall was the last class before lunch. Wanting to get good seats, everyone agreed.

/-/

 _Here is all I'm saying though, why do we have to have two lecture halls in a row. Doesn't that seem counterintuitive?_

Yang looked at Jaune and shrugged, sending him a quick message in response. _I don't know. Save all the cool stuff for the last two classes I guess? Although, Dust is really your thing, not mine._

Jaune sighed and shrugged to his friend from across the table. Lunch period was nestled right in between Oobleck's class and Peach's class. Despite it seemingly not being possible for lunch to be better than breakfast, it turns out it was not only possible but what was the reality. In fact, halfway through the lunch period, Jaune got up and thanked the lunch staff who were clearly the true heroes on Remnant.

"Hey Weiss," called Yang. "I bet you're excited about Peach's class. You do the Dust thing."

Weiss stopped her conversation with Blake and Ruby and looked at the two blondes. Jaune chuckled at Yang's wording and turned to look at Weiss so as to see her response. "The Dust thing… yes, I'm quite adept at using Dust, I've been near it most of my life. And yes, I am very excited for the class and the possibility of learning something new."

"Also, the easy A, right?"

"While I don't revel in the triumph of anything elementary, the nigh-certainty that this will not impede with the other classes workload in all likelihood is quite satisfactory to me."

"That's the most roundabout way of saying yes, I've ever heard in my entire life," commented Blake, with a small smile. Weiss reddened but didn't deny it.

"It's okay Weiss, we all have things we're good at. Nothing wrong with feeling happy to lighten the workload a little." Pyrrha reassured. Everyone who knew of the red-heads career could guess what class she wouldn't have any trouble in. In fact, everyone at the table wouldn't have any problem with combat class, it really only came down to who would be the better. Ruby turned to Jaune.

"I bet you are happy about Grimm Studies, Jaune."

"Hmm? Yeah, Grimm studies seem like it will be alright. Mostly because I can actually understand what the teacher is saying without bursting a blood vessel in my eye." Ruby nodded in understanding, despite Jaune knowing it was impossible for the girl to actually understand.

"I could help you with notes-"

Jaune shook his head and looked away. "Thanks, but I'll be fine." _I didn't come here to be a burden or be pitied. By my team or otherwise._

He went back to eating. His reaction was a bit irrational because help would be great, but no. This would just be another instance of training in his mind. After a few minutes and the coast more than likely being clear, he looked up to see Ren and Ruby were in a conversation.

"Yes, I thought your technique was very good, along with the use of your semblance."

 _Ah, they must be talking about her show in Grimm studies. It was quite impressive. Just like my dad said, there are tons of talented people here to compete with. Although, I guess I should be grateful I have such a leader._

Jaune turned his gaze to the Mistral Champion, the girl chatting with her partner about setting up a sparring schedule for their team. Ren interjecting every now and then when needed. Yang seemed to be listening as well, despite talking to Ruby and Blake about something.

 _Hmm, sparring._ Jaune's mind drifted to the last class of the day, sparring class. The class that would define you, as his dad had put it many times. It was impossible to read the thoughts of his teammates and friends, but the Hunter-in-training couldn't imagine they were as nervous as him. He'd managed to prove he could be useful before, but that was with Grimm. Fighting people was much harder… usually.

" _Remember Jaune, you'll have to train approximately 500x more to keep up with your peers. Being deaf means you'll always be limited… is what I would say if it wasn't for the fact that Arcs are quite well known for breaking past any limit set. You just have to want it and be willing to bleed for it. Come, come, let's try that move again. And wipe away any blood before your mom sees."_

Jaune gripped his fork harder, nearly snapping the plastic. He would put everything he had into it. His thoughts went back to Oobleck's signing. The quick hand motions had reminded him of his fight against Ice Cream. Similarly, it had taken every single ounce of focus he had to keep up. Knowing how tough Beacon was supposed to be, Jaune didn't dismiss the thought this might be a test on its own. Speaking of the test, he'd need to do better on the next one. The History test kicked his ass.

" _A key to an excellent Hunter is an excellent schedule. Now hurry up and get dressed."_

Yes. He'd definitely have to figure out a way to fit study, homework, and training together… Damn. Before he could think any-more on this, Jaune felt a finger poke his cheek. He looked around and saw everyone was leaving. Ruby motioned for him to follow. Seemed lunch was over.

/-/

"So, students, even if you feel that because your weapon does not rely on Dust to function then this class is pointless, I assure you this is not the case. Dust has and will prove to be important to today's world. As protectors of this world, it is imperative that you at the very least can use this material proficiently. In this class, we will be going over the basics, practical usage, theory, availability, and combat appliance. Are there any questions?"

Blake suppressed a yawn. Eating an entire catfish before this class probably wasn't the best idea ever, but damn, those women in the cafeteria knew what was up and how to throw down. Despite biting it back, she was still nudged by her partner as if to say, "Stay awake." Unneeded but still thoughtful. Professor Peach was about to move on, but someone did raise their hand.

"Yes, in the back. State your name and question."

Blake turned to see a large chested boy with a crew cut in the back. The only reason the Faunus recognized him was the idiot had attempted to flirt with her before Initiation. The same cocky grin rested on his face now as it did then.

"Cardin Winchester. And I want to know why all of the teachers I've seen today keep moving their hands like that." After asking this question, the fool did a "comical" imitation of sign-language, getting a small chuckle from a few students.

Blake, along with Ruby and Weiss perked up at the question. Jaune looked at his teammates in confusion at their sudden attention. Team RYVN took notice as well. The Professor paused for a moment before answering. "The staff are accommodating students with a hearing impairment. In the future, please stay on topic with all questions. Now, are there any questions relating to Dust or this course's curriculum."

No one raised their hands, clearly seeing that Peach would say no more on the subject of these supposed hearing-impaired students. Instead, they whispered among themselves about this. Many comments were audible, none of which were positive. Even when the Professor began talking and all side conversations ended, Blake could still see their roaming eyes, looking to see who the teacher was referring to. Thankfully, no one looked in team Robbie's direction.

What was very interesting however was Yang. Looking out of her peripherals, she could see the girl was looking around as well, though it was more to see if anyone wanted to say something and if so, what their face looked like. _Huh, she clearly cares for her friend._ Blake could only imagine the flak Jaune might get if anyone figured out about his disability, regardless if he was skilled or not. If not for seeing him first hand, she would have been inclined to agree with them.

"Okay class, before getting started, I want to find out what level everyone is at." Professor Peach brushed hair out of her face and smiled widely. The woman was honestly beautiful, her hair was long, going down past her shoulders. Its color was interesting, going from brown from the roots, into a dark amber, a lighter chestnut brown, and finally a dark blond at the tips. The colors fading into each other seamlessly, creating a stunning gradient. She certainly wasn't thin either, the lab coat she wore strained tightly around her curves in a way that could make a weak-willed man faint.

"So, to do that, I'm going to give a little quiz." Her voice was so sweet it was honestly hard to be mad at her. The way she said quiz almost sounded like a bashful girl proposing a date. Sadly, that wasn't the case.

Everyone in the class groaned loudly, some facepalming in frustration. After Oobleck, everyone was still going through test fatigue. Professor Peach laughed and assured them it wouldn't be difficult. True enough, it was only one page long… though looking at the questions, it seemed this wouldn't be the case after all. Half of it was theorems, the other side was general to advanced applications. _The heck?_

Blake looked at Weiss and saw she was blowing through it like wind through leaves. _As expected of the Schnee._ The feline Faunus busied herself in the quiz. A maybe here, a straight up guess there. This definitely wouldn't be a great grade. Looking around, she saw only a few in the class were actually completing it in good time, more than likely the ones who relied on Dust for their weapons.

The fifteen minutes went by in an instant. "Okay, now would you please turn in your quiz and then we can start with going over lab safety in this class. I'm very excited for this year's semester."

Everyone handed the papers in and settled down again, allowing the Professor to explain how each class after this would go, mostly pertaining to do's and don'ts of handling Dust in the class. The class was only an hour long, unlike the last two, so it felt like a blessing when she dismissed them.

"Remember to read over the third chapter in preparation for the next class. Have a lovely rest of the day."

 _Wait, third chapter?_

Everyone packed up their notebooks and headed out the room in good spirits. There was a fairly substantial free period after Dust studies and application. It was meant to give time to everyone to change and prepare for Combat Class with Professor Goodwitch. That's what the main purpose was anyway.

"So, who thinks they did well on that?" Yang asked the group, showing herself to be the most outspoken once again, though that was never disputed. "Cause for me this might as well have been History Test 2.0: The Failing."

"It was... challenging," muttered Ren, agreeing with his partner. Nora looked up at him with a quirked eyebrow.

"But Renny, you help me out with my grenade fillings all the time! You even figured out how to add food dye to get the pink explosions I wanted."

Blake heard the boy mutter something about 'blind luck' and 'a literal miracle.' Pyrrha was quick to align with her leader on the notion that it was indeed very challenging. Blake and Ruby also agreed that even if the application part was fairly standard, the theory section had been a killer. Jaune and Weiss more or less twiddled their thumbs while whistling, pretending the quiz hadn't been a stroll through the park.

"Well, I say we get changed for Combat Class and check out more of the campus," suggested Yang. "I have barely gotten to see anything yet."

Jaune, who had been watching his blonde friend intently, perked up and smiled sardonically. "You're not nervous at all for combat class."

It wasn't a question. Yang flashed a grin at her friend but otherwise said nothing in response. An inside joke had probably passed between the two because Jaune's smile got wider as well. The moment passed as if never happening and the two teams headed towards their dorm rooms to get dressed. All the way, Yang commenting that if they were going to have to change anyway, then there shouldn't be a dress code at all. Nora agreed wholeheartedly, causing Weiss to disagree - more than likely out of principle than an actual preference. By the time they reached the rooms, it had turned into a full-blown battle between each team. Blake herself even reluctantly joining in.

"I must agree with Yang's counterpoint," began Pyrrha, "Though I would have worded it differently than 'if the boys can't keep their eyes off my butt, how is it my problem?'"

Blake spoke up, countering Yang's counterpoint with Weiss' original counterpoint. "The uniforms do show a measure of school pride though, while also ensuring we remember the school is not to be used like a battlefield, despite us being at a combat school. Although, I will say that she's right on the fact that the guys should be able to control their hormones better, Weiss."

"Hmm, yeah, Yang might have you beat, Weiss." Commented Jaune. "If we were allowed to wear whatever we wanted, then the girls who wear revealing outfits can get used to having people stare at them and it will be mental training for the guys who try not to stare. What do you think Ruby?"

Ruby looked down in thought and tugged on the collar of her shirt. "These things are kind of uncomfortable… and Weiss' first point about professionalism is kind of moot, considering that's more how you act than are dressed."

"And these skirts show off just as much leg as most of our outfits," inputted Nora, presenting her exposed flesh to everyone. To prove the point even more, she bent down pointed with both hands to her partner's unending legs, drawing a blush from the Champion. "Also, what's with these optional thigh high black socks? Was this uniform designed by someone who majored in absolute territory?!"

Blake solemnly nodded in agreement. _It's not what's shown, it's what's not shown that is truly is erotic. Maybe… maybe Nora is a fellow sister in arms._

Ren finally spoke up, having been the most impartial of the six. "Well, I believe we have a winner. One point Yang, zero points Weiss."

Contrary to what Blake had expected, Yang didn't gloat her victory and Weiss didn't attempt a rebuttal. Instead, Yang outstretched her hand for a handshake and Weiss took it, the two nodding in mutual respect.

"I won't be defeated next time Xiao-Long."

"Heh, anytime Schnee."

 _What the heck is going on here?_

After the unexpected display of mutual respect, they turned around and headed in their respective rooms, the teams following suit. Jaune took his clothes and headed to the bathroom, probably knowing that none of the girls would be changing while he was in the room. With him gone, Blake stripped off the school uniform and put on her standard outfit. She personally had no reservations about changing in front of the other girls, considering she'd lived out in the woods for weeks on end and regularly changed in front other females and occasionally men.

Blake didn't know Ruby's background, but the fifteen-year-old wasn't shy about changing either. They were all girls after all. Though Weiss looked a bit uncomfortable changing and went about it as quick as possible while not making eye contact. Prudish behavior to be sure, but not at all unfounded. Some people just weren't comfortable with changing with others looking, so the Faunus respectfully turned away.

"Y'all done?"

"Yes," replied Ruby, though the boy didn't come out of the bathroom. "I said yes, Jaune," called the team leader, a bit louder this time, though he didn't respond. It was Weiss who walked over to the bathroom door and opened it as a signal that they were in fact done. Ruby's face reddened when she realized she'd forgotten he was deaf. Blake sighed and ran a hand through her hair. This would take some getting used to.

 _Looking closer, he does actually have two scars, each just above his ears where hair barely grows… It's probably only a matter of time before people find out about this. Despite how well he hides it._

Ruby suggested retrieving their weapons from the locker rooms in preparation for Combat Class, and maybe showing up to class early to get a feel for the arena. Everyone agreed and headed out.

/-/

Despite the class not having officially started, latent energy filled the room like a thick steam. Everyone was looking around with anxious smiles. Stressful and fragile expressions that could either shatter or explode. There were two third years sparring in the area like it was personal, going at it with their bare hands. It seemed a lot of students had shown up early and were privy to the intense practice round, those students consisting of team Robbie, Raven, and three others.

They fought with the intensity of a real deathmatch, each strike meant to cripple the other. Looking closely, Jaune could see their eyes were hardened and crisp as if all they could see is the enemy. Jeez, the third years were hardcore. The sparring match ended with the one with red hair slamming an elbow into his partner's neck, dropping the boy's aura to zero and throwing him to the floor. The red-haired boy looked as if he was going to continue, but seemed to snap out of a haze. He helped up his friend and walked off the training ground.

 _Damn, that was intense. The third years fight like animals._

Jaune looked ran a hand through hair and sighed. It had been a good call on Ruby's part to get here early, though couldn't have known that a few of the third years were practicing their hand to hand. The Hunter-in-training looked at his teammates and saw they had been just as intrigued.

Jaune felt his scroll buzz. Surprise, surprise, a text from Yang. _They looked like they were going to knock each other's jaws off. Want to re-enact that. If we fight?_

He chuckled and typed back. _Think I'll pass on the whole, knock my jaw off thing. That's the money maker after all._

There wasn't another reply, though his head got playfully pushed from the blonde sitting above him. Jaune would have kept chuckling but it was then when Miss Goodwitch walked in and began resetting the aura board, setting up for class, which would begin any second. Others began filtering in, all of the first-year class was present. Everyone began taking their seats, more than likely chatting amongst themselves before the start of the class.

Jaune gripped and released the handle of Crocea Mors repeatedly, breathing heavily. Any second now and class would start. A finger poked his arm and the teen turned to his partner. Ruby smiled and gave a thumbs up. Jaune smiled in kind and returned the gesture.

A vibration went through the air and Jaune's eyes were drawn back to the arena. Miss Goodwitch seemed to have smacked her crop against her hand to silence the students. It must have worked because she began speaking a moment later.

"For those of you who do not know me, I am Professor Goodwitch. I will be your professor for this class. I expect everyone to follow the rules laid out before each sparring match and to listen to any and all guidance I give after each match. There will be no toleration of those who intentionally try to cripple or seriously wound a fellow classmate. If anyone attacks a classmate after their aura goes into the red, I can assure you your next opponent will be _me._ All your weapons have already been approved. Are there any questions?"

Even if there were, Jaune doubted anyone would be brave enough to ask. Miss Goodwitch's aura was scary. The purple having hints of darkness around the edges. The boy could practically feel it from the seats. After waiting five seconds, the Professor began again. Just like the other teachers, she signed in harmony with her personality. Curt and clear movements, easy for Jaune to read.

"I like to get through as many students as possible for the first week, so as to gauge abilities early. Please be prompt about getting to the stage. However, take as much time as needed while sparring. The first two will be Cardin Winchester and Nora Valkyrie."

 _I wonder if Nora will be ner-_

The pink haired girl went down the stairs five at a time, a crazed grin never leaving her face. _Yeah, what was I thinking?_ Looking over to the other side of the arena, a boy with a large mace was walking downward to meet her. He had a cocky grin on, though it was hard to tell whether it was bravado or actual confidence. Maybe both? Anyway, it seemed Professor Goodwitch had paired two strength-based fighters, meaning it was likely to be a battle of who could get a solid hit in. _I actually didn't get to see Nora fight for real in Initiation. This should be interesting. Oh, seems they're engaging in pre-game smack talk. The most important of all the warm-ups._ Jaune narrowed his eyes and tried to make out what Nora was saying. She accentuated her words well, so it was somewhat of a simple matter.

The bomber waved her weapon suggestively, the grenade launcher extended out to its full length. "Pfft… hehe… Mine's bigger."

The boy - Cardin - reddened in the face, his teeth gritting together in anger. _Impressive. It seems Nora has already won the mental battle of composure. She was effortlessly able to see that this guy's sensitive spot was pride and attacked it. Amazing, I'll have to be careful of her._ Miss Goodwitch said a few more words and then left the sparring area, standing off to the side.

The battle barely started before Cardin ran forward screaming towards Nora and swung his mace down at her. An explosion shook the ground a moment later, kicking up smoke with hints of flames – suggesting the mace used some kind of Dust. Cardin grimaced - realizing he hadn't hit anything - and lifted his mace from the ground and swung again in Nora's general direction, hitting nothing but air once again. After the third swing and miss, Nora seemed to finally grow tired of the cat and mouse game and brought her mighty hammer around to counter.

Cardin noticed this pulled his mace up in time to block, or attempt to block, the counter-attack. Nora's hammer crashed into it with the force of a Bullhead, nearly ripping it from his hands and succeeding in sending the large boy sliding backwards several feet. Jaune looked at the board to see it had taken around 10 percent of Cardin's aura.

 _What strength. I wonder where it comes from?_

Nora, still grinning, began speaking again. "Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. It's not like I said you were compensating for something! It's not even big enough for that anyway."

The words almost seemed to physically grate on the boy's nerves – Cardin's face was redder than Pyrrha's hair. To his credit, however, he didn't rush in again, clearly having felt the power behind the hit. His eyes narrowed on the grinning girl across from him. His moment of reprieve ended when Nora got bored of waiting and rushed forward. The girl jumped high into the air and raised her hammer, ready to crush any and everything unlucky enough to be beneath her. The mace wielder jumped out just as Nora landed, though, there was no explosion like with Cardin's mace. The overhead haymaker had been a bluff. Instead of slamming the raised hammer upon landing, she turned on her heel and swung to the side. Having learned his lesson, the boy continued his backpedal with haste and missed the attack by inches.

It was quickly becoming evident that Nora was simply faster than Cardin, this punctuated by the fact that he was never quick enough to actually get a counter out on her, even when he did avoid being hit. The girl hadn't even used her grenade launcher function yet, instead, making it challenge of strength and speed alone. This point came to a head when Cardin's and Nora's weapons met in the middle in a detonation of concussive force, the resulting explosion causing a mini-shockwave. Nora won out as expected and the boy was sent backwards clutching at his forearm.

Looking back at the board, Jaune could see Cardin's aura was at somewhere in the middle of yellow, while Nora had green to spare. What a beast. It wasn't just strength or speed though, Nora had also out-witted her opponent at every turn, despite him becoming increasingly wary during the battle. Discounting the initial moves from Cardin, neither had underestimated each other and now, nearing the end, they had a good understanding of each other's physical limits.

Cardin grit his teeth in frustration as he struggled to maneuver his weapon easily, fatigue catching up with him. Judging from his expression, this was probably the first time the boy had been outclassed in a contest of strength by a peer. That peer being a girl no less. It being witnessed by an entire room of people no less. Cardin's composure broke and he blitzed the girl on the other end, twirling his mace so as to make its final direction unknowable. It was a good technique and might have ended with well if not for Nora turning her weapon back into its grenade launcher form, winking as she pulled the trigger.

The pink shell hit Cardin's breastplate dead center and detonated, sending him flying back once again onto his back. His mace went skittering away as well, leaving him defenseless, though, Jaune doubted he'd be getting back up to use it anyway. This proved true as his aura went into the red and Miss Goodwitch walked back onto the area, signifying the end of the match. Cardin was quick to pick himself off the ground, possibly attempting to save face. Though Jaune couldn't imagine why. He'd performed well against someone clearly stronger.

"The match has ended. Mr. Winchester, I commend you for your ability to adapt to a pressing situation. After realizing your opponent's strength, you wisely adjusted. In the future do pay attention to every asset your enemy possesses so as not to be taken off guard. I'd also say to train your speed to a greater ability. As you saw today, tanking attacks might not always be an advantageous option."

Cardin averted his gaze from Professor Goodwitch's but otherwise accepted the sage counsel. The teacher nodded and turned to Nora. "Miss Valkyrie, excellent work. You were successfully able to confuse your opponent by fringing attacks and counters. And while I don't explicitly condone the creative verbal provoking, I will say it succeeded in off putting your opponent. Let that also be a lesson in controlling your temper, Mr. Winchester. That is all."

The two students nodded and headed back to their seats. Before congratulations could even be given to Nora from both teams, Professor Goodwitch had already called the next two students. "Yang Xiao-Long and Jaune Arc, please come down."

 _Yep. Must be fate._

 _/-/_

Yang grinned when she heard their names called. Ever since meeting Jaune, she'd been hoping for a chance to fight him. From what she understood, Glynda had been one of the first responders to the attempted kidnapping of Weiss and knew of the whole incident. Maybe she pinned Jaune and her together for that reason. Who knows.

"Do your best Yang," said Pyrrha, giving an encouraging smile. Ren simply nodded in encouragement. On her way down, she gave a high five to Nora who was walking up the stairs. Jaune, who was already nearly to the stage looked back at her and smirked before walking up to the sparring area. _Heh, yeah, this is going to be fun._

Once on the stage, Miss Goodwitch explained to them the rules again. Though she barely paid attention, instead, keeping eye contact with the Dust expert she'd be facing. His piercing blue gaze was fixed on her as well. She slowly backed away from the boy as the Professor walked off the stage and began the match. Jaune backed away as well, keeping a hand on the grip of his sword but otherwise keeping it in its sheath.

Attempting to take him off guard, Yang fired off a few shotgun blasts from her gauntlets, all of which Jaune avoided by dodging to the side and backstepping when needed. The brawler didn't want her pragmatic friend to have any time to think, despite the boy probably already having thought up with a strategy. Seeing that her barrage of long-range attacks wasn't working, Yang rushed forward to take the boy head on. Close quarters was what she was best at, though, she had to be cautious. Her semblance couldn't always save her.

Unexpectedly, Jaune ran forward to meet the blonde halfway, drawing his sword quickly while keeping his center of gravity low. As they entered each other's striking range, Yang aimed a downward punch to Jaune's jaw, though it was blocked with the pommel of Crocea Mors. The force sent Jaune sliding back a foot or two, but otherwise unaffected. Yang jumped backwards to gain space before the boy could activate his Dust. Her instinct proved true when a column of fire superheated the area she'd been in a second earlier.

 _Yikes. It will be next to impossible to get close with that kind of deterrent. Though I remember him telling me he did like to use his Dust sparingly because it was a pain to replace._

Yang landed on the balls off her feet and rocketed forward at the boy again, going for a left jab. Jaune was a moment quicker and avoided the punch, though he didn't have time to counter-attack as he was forced to deflect another punch aimed at his face with the hardened sleeve of Intego. Her next punch hit air as Jaune feinted to the side, though by keeping her momentum going she was able to jump into a combat roll and avoid his blade coming down onto her shoulder. She raised her arm to block the second sword strike that came as she was rising from the ground, managing to deflect the blade on the metal of her gauntlet. Reaching forward, she attempted to grab the haft of the sword, but Jaune pulled back in time and reset his defenses.

Yang breathed softly and looked up at the board. Neither of their aura levels had changed significantly, both planted firmly in the green. That was good. She rushed Jaune once again, firing off a shotgun blast as she went, all of which he evaded while still focusing on her movement like a hawk. Jaune sheathed his sword as they got closer and clenched his fist, seemingly deciding to go hand to hand. Though as she went in with a punch, she realized that wasn't the case at all. Yang hit nothing but air, her opponent having slid beneath the attack entirely. As it happened the girl swore she heard that motherfucker laughing.

She tried to pivot and protect her backside. Yang's eyes widened in horror as she stumbled forward instead of pivoting, the cause being a chunk of ice keeping her right foot in place. _That sneaky-_

A large, flat, and heavy piece of metal collided with Yang's midsection, knocking the breath out of her and throwing her back. On the positive, the force was strong enough to dislodge her foot from the thin layer of ice. As the girl fell backward she saw Jaune running to capitalize on the successful attack, his shield finally deployed and sword raised high. The girl grinned and lowered her arms before firing both gauntlets twice, the force sending Yang forward and taking Jaune completely by surprise.

Jaune, who had fully expected Yang to fall over, quickly tried to adjust into a defensive stance but couldn't in time. He faltered a moment, hesitation clear on his face, before attempting to finish his downward strike. The boy was too slow.

Yang threw a devastating southpaw haymaker, one that sailed in between Jaune's guard and crashed into his face a half a second before Crocea Mors could come down on the girl's collarbone. Capitalizing on the successful move, she fluently followed up with a right uppercut that unfortunately was deflected by Jaune's shield.

The blade of Jaune's sword came down on her neck weakly, not even with enough force to lower aura. She was about to bat it away, but before she could her muscles contracted violently and she fell to one knee. The dull buzz crackling from the silver metal along with a dull glow explained the cause of her sudden incapability to move without spasming.

Jaune - with a bruise forming on the right side of his face - smirked. "Checkmate," he mouthed.

With all his might and weight behind it, the boy brought down his shield and slammed the end of it directly onto the crown of Yang's head, the force so great that it left the girl dizzy and seeing stars. He repeated this action twice, both times reaping large swaps of aura. The third hit never came, Yang having caught the strike before it could come down, eye's glittering a bold red, her semblance coming to life just in time.

Yang ripped the shield out of Jaune's grasp and swatted the blade away from her neck before he could amp up the voltage. The boy - eyes wide with shock - was given no time to retreat before a barrage of punches were given to his torso. She ended the series of punches with a strong right to his face. One that instead of sending the boy flying like expected, spun him in place at an incredible speed. This rotation ending with Jaune using the stolen momentum to slam his sword's pommel into the side of Yang's head.

She stumbled back from the blow, more surprised than anything that Jaune even pulled it off. He followed up with a left-handed aura enhanced palm strike to her chest. It lacked the power to knock Yang over, however, which gave the girl time to grab hold of Jaune's wrist. She lifted the boy off the ground as if he weighed nothing, swung him over her head, and slammed him to the ground as hard as possible. Even with his Dust enhanced hoodie acting as a defense, she could tell the move had jarred him a lot. Before he could recover she straddled his waist and began landing punch after punch into his face. After the sixth strike Professor Goodwitch - who Yang had honestly forgotten about - stepped in.

"That's enough. The match is over. Ms. Xiao-Long is victorious." Yang stopped her assault and patted Jaune on the cheek before standing up. Understanding the message Jaune attempted to stand as well, graciously accepting help from his friend, a goofy grin never leaving his battered face. "Oi, Yang. How's my bread and butter? Still crispy?"

Yang didn't even respond, instead, bursting out into laughter, which helped to drain all the tension from the fight. Miss Goodwitch stared the two down until their antics ended, the woman ready to move on. "Well, I'm very impressed, to say the least. Ms. Xiao-Long, you adapted will to Mr. Arc's versatility and always tried to keep the fight on your terms. However, I would advise you to keep an eye on your aura levels. Two more hits would have more than likely put you in the red."

Yang smiled and nodded. Miss Goodwitch turned her attention to Jaune. "Mr. Arc. I applaud you for being able to compete with a fighter who carries more physical strength than yourself and your ability to use multiple different techniques to disorient your opponent. That being said, I'd advise you to not become sure in victory again when the fight is still in progress. Especially when you don't fully understand your opponent's limits or abilities."

Jaune nodded curtly, though mirth still danced in his eyes. Satisfied, the Professor dismissed them and began calling two others. Like the last fight, everyone clapped for the fighters. Of course, the cheers from Yang's team was the loudest, though maybe it was just because of Nora.

"Hey Yang," Jaune muttered softly, turning to look at his female friend. "Thanks for not taking it easy on me."

 _As if there was a reason to._

"Sure thing, partner."

/-/

Ozpin, who had been situated in the far corner of the class, walked from the classroom as the last students finished their spar. As usual, he went unnoticed - not such a difficult feat when everyone was focused on the center of the room. The Headmaster - regardless of the fact that there was indeed much to be done - wasn't one to break habit. In this case, that meant witnessing the first years first sparring matches first hand. Of course, they were all filmed by surveillance cameras and could be re-watched at leisure, but something was lacking by that method.

 _They all have such strong spirits, these first years. Good._

The Headmaster's thoughts were interrupted by the buzzing of his scroll. Something which had become a trend as of recently. By the time he was able to refill his coffee and make it back to his office, the thing had buzzed 5 more times, which didn't exactly bode well for his foreseeable free time. Only after taking a seat and a sip did he dare look.

 _Message from Ironwood (3)_

 _Missed Call from Council Member Sterling (1)_

 _Message from VPD Captain Saul (1)_

No. It didn't seem like there would be any rest for a while.

* * *

 **A/N:** And done. A lot of things stopped this from getting out sooner, but the important thing is that it is in fact out. That being said, I didn't get to everything I wanted to. However, that's what the next chapters are for. Well, I hope you noticed in the fight between Jaune and Yang that they both attempted to use what they learned from their respective fights in the last Arc. Jaune using his opponent's momentum and Yang trying to not rely on her semblance. Anyway, that's all for now.

Hmm...I wonder what Winter is doing?


	8. Weekend Warriors Part 1

Chapter 8: Weekend Warriors Part 1

Beta: Shad0wReaper133

* * *

While the city of Vale was still firmly in the hold of the wicker hours, an extremely fit woman of mid-twenties was headed through the commercial district of the city on what most would probably see as a normal morning jog. After all, her attire of a black sports bra, loose gray tank top, sweatpants, and sneakers would seem to say as much. Her short black hair was tied in a lazy ponytail, complimented by a light pink ball cap of a popular Vale sports team. Yes, just the average jogger, trying to get some exercise in before the sun came up.

Which is why it was so strange that when she happened upon a recently broken in Dust store, she didn't hesitate to go take a closer look. There was police tape around the area, but otherwise, nothing seemed disturbed about the crime scene. It could only mean that while the police had already been here, there hadn't been any detectives yet.

 _Good. They'd have contaminated the evidence._

After making sure there was no one around, the women walked underneath the tape and into the store, avoiding any bits of broken glass. Her crystal blue eyes scanned for anything that could be considered important. Meticulous as ever, she systematically searched all of the most offending spots that could contain clues to the White Fang's intention. First, she took note of all the broken glass and smashed bits of the counter. Yet, not one single speck of dust was to be found. Which meant in the presumed haste, they still made sure to not spill anything. Not even a drop. Impressive. Another thing that wasn't present was the drops or puddles of crimson she'd expected near the cash register. Which meant they hadn't killed or more than likely even injured the owner here.

Walking around the counter, the women removed a latex glove from her pocket and pulled it on before opening the surprisingly still intact cash register. More surprising was the fact there was still money left inside. Meaning the criminals clearly wasn't after monetary gain in their endeavors. A scary thought. More scary was it could mean the ones who pulled off this heist knew there was a possibility some of the lien could be marked so rather than take the risk, they left them here. Either way, these were the acts of a disciplined and well lead group. Not one just out for wanton chaos.

 _Dust though. Is there some deeper meaning behind Dust being targeted? I know it can't be Roman's idea… a black market dealer he may be, but one that albeit stays in the shadows or just works with distributors._

The undercover soldier began making her way out the store until something caught her eye. Pink. It was a little tuft of something pink snagged onto the broken glass of the doorway. She walked closer to it and removed a pair of silver tweezers from her pocket along with a small glass vial. Though playing the part of an average jogger, didn't mean she was any less prepared than usual. The seemingly insignificant piece of material was quickly and carefully stored away. Not a second too soon either.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing in there?" An authoritative voice called out from the street, making the girl freeze for a moment. However, she quickly calmed down and took on the face of an innocent, slow, overprivileged bimbo. Then she turned to face the two officers, thanking the heavens that they were male.

"Yeep!" She jumped in mock surprise and then forced pinpricks of tears to for at the side of her eyes. "I-I'm sorry mister officer! It just looked so interesting, and I watch Law and Order, and I was on my way home, and I-"

"Wow, calm down there," spoke the older of the two VCP officers, looking at bit flustered. The "jogger" continued to squirm in place, very clearly insinuating her breast in the process while pouting subtly. The act fulfilled its purpose with remarkable success. "Listen… I think we can let you go with a warning. Just don't do it again, understand?"

Specialist Schnee held back a sigh at their single-mindedness and smiled brightly instead at the two young men. "Thank you very much!" To seal the coffin, she added a little bounce to the 'thank you', which shook her best conversational assets. The act felt disgusting, but it certainly did the trick. The two men wished her a good day and began their own work. Winter cringed at the sound of glass being crushed underfoot as they walked through the crime scene, bumbling like morons. No wonder Vale was in such a dire state. If what Ms. Xiao-Long said is correct, then there were apparently a few members of the police force working with the White Fang and Torchwick. Though the rest aid the Fang effort by simply being incompetent.

Winter jogged back to her townhouse located in the Upper-Class area of Vale that she'd been stationed in by Ozpin. The fact it was such a nice area was pure coincidence, as she'd surely not asked to be placed in the location for comfort purposes. When she initially asked why the headmaster had plainly told her the position was advantageous. She took his word on the matter.

 _Now that I think about it, the fact that two teenagers that weren't even students were able to make more progress than me in a single night is shameful. The leader of them being deaf no less. And having never been to Vale at all._

Winter picked up the pace as the sun began to slowly peek over the horizon, scattering light all over the land. She wasn't concerned with calling Ozpin today, as he had instructed to not be called unless she discovered something. Of course, that didn't mean she wouldn't leave at least a message to say that she was still alive. Anything could happen after all. She still hadn't received a partner yet, as apparently, the Vale huntsman population was rather strained at the moment. Not to mention this assignment was secret even to the other council members of Vale, who would have never allowed an Atlas agent to be tasked with this. The damage it would do to the Kingdom's perceived abilities could be potentially catastrophic. Thus finding a Hunter who was simultaneously free _and_ had a certain level of clearance was nearly impossible because Winter could only really think of one person like that. _And he's a pain._

The undercover Huntress sighed at the task she had ahead of her, picking up the pace in her jog. Finding the hideout, at least the main one would be a task and a half. This was such a change from her usual day in Atlas, which would be spent in an office. On a good day, she would maybe lead a few troops on a detail against Grimm or some criminal group. Right now though... being out of the stuffy rooms and doing street-level work... it reminded her of being a Private again. Felt nice. Almost liberating.

Winter looked around suspiciously as if the General thousands of miles away might hear her thoughts and reprimand her. However, there was no commanding officer to be found. Just the tired faces of storekeepers and first shift employees making their way to work. A few waved at Winter as she passed by, wishing her a good morning, others simply nodded. It was a refreshing change from the rigid greetings only given out of respect in Atlas. _Hmm._

Hopefully, today would be one of success.

/-/

Blake wasn't a particularly early riser, but she'd been conditioned to wake up at the smallest disturbance. So when her eyes snapped open, she knew something must be wrong. Slowly, she sat up, her extra pair of ears flicking slightly towards the sound of the premature waking. It was still dark in the room, meaning the sun hadn't risen yet, but that hardly mattered thanks to night vision.

Peering over the bed adjacent to her own, Blake spotted the problem. Weiss was breathing extremely hard, soaked in sweat, and was biting her lip hard enough to draw blood. Blake idly looked around the room, seeing that everything else was in order. Jaune was missing from his bed, but the teen had already explained his training regimen to them, lest they wonder where he went. Ruby was blissfully unaware of anything happening at the moment, blankets were thrown askew and drooling slightly.

So taking it upon herself, Blake slid out of bed and silently walked to Weiss' side. The girl hesitated, in waking Weiss, a flurry of different arguments coming into her head why she shouldn't. Though a pained whimper from the heiress shattered Blake's resolve. Carefully reaching out, she gently shook Weiss' shoulders. "Weiss. Weiss," she whispered to the girl's ear, cautious not to wake the team leader.

Blake also prepared to step back quickly if Weiss threw a punch or something upon waking up. It was a reflex many Hunters had after years of trauma and while it was hard to see Weiss as any more than pampered and protected, it was entirely possible she'd have a similar reaction. This fear was unneeded, however. Weiss' eyes, which were completely bloodshot, snapped open and stared into the yellow ones of her partner. After five seconds of silence, Blake began to become a bit more concerned.

"Weiss, are you okay?" Whispered Blake. Weiss continued to look at her with a blank stare, the expression not giving away anything. _She's shaking like a leaf._ "Weiss, what's wrong?" She asked, rephrasing the question because at this point it was pretty damn obvious she wasn't okay. The white-haired girl began shaking even harder before, finally, her eyes glazed over with moisture and tears started to leak out the sides.

"Bl-"

The heiress stopped herself mid-sentence, her voice watery to the point of near unintelligibility. After making a few pathetic attempts to clear her voice, she finally gave up and turned on her side facing away from Blake, still quietly shuttering out tears. Blake frowned and moved in closer, though unsure where to go from here. She wasn't really one for impromptu physical contact and she wasn't sure of Weiss' boundaries either. It wasn't like they particularly knew it each other all that well. Still, it felt like something should be done other than watch. So she reached out in hesitation before placing a hand on her partner's shoulder, just as a sign of being there and little more. Despite this gesture being somewhat of a formality, it did actually seem to calm Weiss down a bit, enough to stop shaking anyway.

 _This is so bizarre._

They stayed in that position for a few minutes, with nothing but breaths passing between the two. Finally, Weiss spoke, her voice much clearer this time. "Is Ruby awake or Jaune back?"

"No. Just you and I."

It was only then that Weiss turned around and faced Blake again, wiping away tears from her eyes and just generally attempting to keep up a facade of emotional difference. The reason for this was completely lost on Blake, seeing as she'd seen the girl cry already. Maybe it was just habit. "Good," muttered the Schnee. "In that case, can we keep this matter to ourselves then?"

"Of course," responded Blake instinctively, seeing the pleading look in her partner's eyes. At this moment Weiss could have asked Blake to take off her bow and she might without thinking. Weiss nodded and slid out of bed, landing on wobbly legs. Whether she'd fall or not wasn't left up to fate, as the Faunus took it upon herself to support the girl. Comfort zone be damned. Weiss' white nightgown was still slick with sweat, however, making the light material slightly translucent. Blake looked away with a slight flush, grateful for the low light.

Once at the bathroom door, Weiss detached herself from Blake and walked in. She almost closed the door, but apparently thought better of it, turning around to face Blake instead. "Thank you, Blake," she whispered, forcing a smile. Blake nodded curtly in response. Weiss closed the door softly.

Blake's train of thought had derailed and exploded during the short time she'd spent with Weiss Schnee this morning. As the sun's light began peeking through the curtains of the windows, Blake reflected on all the things she'd heard about Schnee in the past from her compatriots in the Fang.

" _I hear their blood is blacker than coal."_

" _My cousin met one once… apparently, they can't feel emotion. Just fake it."_

" _More machine than human really…"_

Consciously, Blake was aware most of the rumors were just that. However, hearing stuff like that constantly as a child still left subconscious biases. Right now though, she didn't really know how to feel about the white-haired beauty. The past week had been enlightening. Today most of all. It was entirely too early for any of this.

"Whatcha thinkin about?" Asked a soft voice. Blake jumped in surprise and turned towards the source, being greeted by the sleepy-eyed leader of her team. Apparently, she was so deep in thought she hadn't noticed the girl wake up. Despite this surprise, however, she managed a deadpanned response.

"Nothing. How did you sleep?" She asked, sidestepping any more questions focused on her. So ready to change the subject, she even forced a cheaply composed smile. "Ready for a fun day of activities?"

As awkward as it was to do, Ruby didn't seem to notice. She smiled and gave a hearty, "I'm ready!" Once again Blake wondered how this adorable girl was a huntress, much less the leader. Though wasn't like she wanted the role for herself. She vaguely wondered if the others felt the same.

"Gosh Blake, you must be _really_ excited to be smiling in the morning."

Blake jumped again, this time being startled by the voice of Jaune, who had apparently arrived at some point unnoticed. How someone who couldn't hear sound was so quiet upon entering was beyond her. The swordsman was dressed in his standard attire, his blade hanging at his side. "I'm sure I don't know what you're implying."

Jaune shrugged and walked over to the curtains, grasping them dramatically and throwing them open. He basked in the sudden burst of illumination and seemed to glow with the light source. On the opposite end of the spectrum, said dramatics blinded Blake for a good second, having always been sensitive to light in general. Thank goodness her involuntary hiss was missed by both Jaune and Ruby. The partners began chatting about what they were going to do today, giving Blake a moments reprieve. Or that would have been the case if she didn't pick up on the soft voice of Weiss cursing from behind the door.

" _Blake,"_ was the next thing she heard come from behind the door. It was a mixture between a hiss and a whisper, but Blake's better than average hearing had been doing her all sorts of favors lately. With Jaune and Ruby still in the throngs of discussion, Blake shuffled towards the door and spoke back.

"What's wrong Weiss?"

There were a few seconds of silence before she got an answer. "In the... _rush_... this morning I forgot to bring a towel or a change of clothes." Another stint of silence followed where Blake thought she heard a large sigh. "...could you retrieve those from my belongings and hand them to me."

 _What the hell is up with this morning?_

 _/-/_

The morning had been a rather awkward set of events for Weiss as it pertains to her partner. First, and worst of all, having to be _comforted_ by Blake after a nightmare. A nightmare she thought she'd finally dispelled for good after the week with her sister. Then the same morning, she was forced to swallow quite the copious amount of shame and ask the girl to retrieve the clothing Weiss had foolishly neglected to bring in with her. Very _private_ articles of clothing that no-one should be privy to.

Yet Blake acted as nothing was the matter at breakfast, keeping the same indifferent expression and even idly chatting, meanwhile she'd been too embarrassed to look at the dark-haired girl. Weiss turned and looked at Blake, who was sitting in front of her on the Bullhead headed to central Vale. _Maybe I'm overreacting about the whole thing. She sure doesn't look affected._

Blake looked up and locked eyes with the heiress, her expression staying impassive. Weiss gulped and looked away, immediately mentally slapping herself at the action. She even began to feel heat coming to her face, which made her anger at herself, causing more heat to rise to her face. A vicious cycle. _Blake must think I'm a fool._ Today might as well be an anomaly. She couldn't even manage to muster a convincing poker face.

"So Weiss, where do you think we should go?"

Composing herself, Weiss turned to Ruby, who was sitting two seats away with Jaune. "I don't mind either way. I haven't seen much of Vale since I've been here, so it would be nice to visit anywhere."

Her leader nodded and turned to Blake, asking the same question. The black haired girl was quick in her response. "There's a bookstore I'd like to go to. Other than that, I'm fine wherever... though I wouldn't be opposed to visiting the docks either."

"Sure thing!" Exclaimed Ruby gleefully. "Jaune and I were talking, and it turns out we need to visit the same area of the commercial district. So I guess somewhere in between we can pick up lunch or something as the day goes by."

"Sounds okay with me," commented Weiss before looking away, this time out the window of the aircraft. The buildings of Vale hardly provided a stimulating distraction, though they would do. At least they were something different. Atlas' spirals and pristine appearance was something she took pride in as an Atlas native. Comparatively speaking, this city was rather drab, however, she'd save judgment for after the grand tour of the city. That being if she could pay attention.

"... yeah, though that was when the Commercial District was under maintenance after the fire."

Weiss turned her head slightly towards the conversation she'd spaced out one between Blake, Ruby, and Jaune. Though it seemed they were done talking on the subject and were moving on to preferred types of colors. She opened her mouth slightly to comment, but closed it just as quickly and turned to face out the window yet again.

Something itched in the back of Weiss' mind at the mention of that terrible night. It was something truly important that Glynda had mentioned rather offhandedly. When asked about the kidnapping scheme in detail, which Weiss had done in earnest, the Deputy Headmistress had told her how it was planned and how it subsequently failed. Two Hunters had picked up on the plot and took down Torchwick's stolen airship, then proceeded to beat back a large portion of the White Fang resistance, giving time for help to arrive. She'd asked what their names were of course, but Ms. Goodwitch had responded that the two wished to remain anonymous, not even being mentioned by name in the official report.

Understandably of course. The White Fang was a large group and even the strongest of Huntsman doesn't want to be targeted directly. Though something was definitely off about the whole thing but Weiss couldn't place her finger on it. It was something she'd overheard…

The lurch of the Bullhead jarred Weiss back to reality, and she instinctively grabbed at the chair for stabilization. A sick feeling rested in the bottom of her stomach as the turbulence continued and she chastised herself for being scared for the slightest instant.

"Weiss, are you okay?" Asked Ruby.

The heiress turned around to see her teammates staring at her in concern. _Gods, I must look like a nervous wreck._ "I… I simply have some anxiety about flying on Bullheads is all."

The admission of weakness was hard, but it was the quickest and easiest lie she could come up with at the moment, and best of all, it wasn't entirely untrue either. Regardless, Ruby excepted the answer, taking on a concerned face immediately. "Ah, I didn't know! We could have taken the ferry to the city instead."

Weiss shook her head. "It's truly fine." To prove that statement, she even let go of the upholstery tentatively, though Ruby still didn't look completely convinced. "Honestly I'm-"

The Bullhead shook again, interrupting her and deepening the pit in her stomach, though she kept a neutral face when it counted. "...Fine."

Ruby squinted her eyes at Weiss one more time before accepting the response. Jaune and Blake seemed to let it go easy enough as well, though that could just be because the Bullhead had already begun its descent and they were preparing to leave. As everyone headed to the exit, Jaune did come over to her though and placed a hand on her shoulder, sporting an easy smile.

"Don't worry Weiss, I have trouble with Bullheads too sometimes."

She wanted to roll her eyes at the comment. And she did. Though not without a small smile etching its way onto her face after he'd turn to leave. Weiss stood from her seat and walked to the exit as well, finally feeling in a proper headspace.

\\-\

Being a proper leader meant setting a good example for the other teammates. That much was obvious. So it was no wonder that Team Raven, despite the fact the sun had risen, was still knee deep in the seas of dreamland. It wasn't Ren's fault he was sleepy. He was born sleepy. He almost chalked it up as a side effect of his semblance. Thank goodness the yin to his yang was always there to remind him of his leaderly duties to his team.

"Ren… _Ren... REN!"_ The boy opened his eyes with belabored speed, the morning slapping him in the face and leaving behind a frown.

"Nora, it's two in the morning…" moaned Yang from her bed, a hand resting over her face in exasperation. "Plus it's Saturday~. The Sandman works overtime and I sleep in."

 _Finally, someone speaking sense._

Ren felt his eyes shutting again under the weight of his own weariness. Though Nora would simply not be defeated on the matter. She stood up and walked to the window, grabbed the extra thick drapes Ren had put up in preparation for today, and threw them open. Instantly the room went from moderately dark to unholy levels of radiating brilliance, the likes only found in heavens uppermost level. Ren went temporarily blind, Yang screamed, and Pyrrha fell out of bed in shock.

"First of all, it's eleven in the morning, not two. Second, the Sandman may work overtime, but he still clocks out at 10:30 on weekends to spend time with family. So there are no excuses!" Nora declared in a booming voice as if any of that last part made sense.

Yang moaned, still massaging her eyes. "Drat, she's got me there."

 _No, it would seem there is still no one speaking sense._

His body acting on autopilot, the teen crawled forth from his bed. Seeing as sleep was currently out of the question, a bit of nourishment from the five-star cuisine downstairs sounded nice. They could all go and eat, then maybe a nice wal-

"So, didn't we agree to train at some point today?" Pyrrha asked, stretching out the kinks from the night. Even with a loose t-shirt on, Ren could see the cut muscles and powerful latent energy in within them. No wonder she excelled in battle so often.

"Yeah, we did agree to that. How about now? The training rooms are probably empty at the moment and afterward, we can get an early lunch? Late breakfast?" Suggested Yang, to the like-minded females of team Raven. They all agreed, which brought a tiny smile to Ren's face.

"Sounds like a plan."

As they got ready, Ren realized he still didn't know what it truly meant to be a leader. Honestly, it seemed that the team moved and acted without his guidance. Of course, on a mission it would be different, they would look to him for leadership and it was only the first week of school after all. Still, the weight of future responsibilities rested on his shoulders with an unrelenting pressure.

Though, it wasn't like this was the first time he'd felt such stress. Now there was just more people and an official title. Unconsciously his eyes fell on the blonde haired girl getting dressed. He'd barely talked to her this past week despite her being his partner and efforts on her part. It was something he'd have to work on.

"Perhaps after we eat, we can go out into the city," spoke a soft voice. Everyone turned to the quietest one on the team, Pyrrha. She almost seemed a bit shy to voice her opinion, though continued regardless. "I haven't seen much of Vale since I got here, I'd like to explore a bit."

Ren smiled politely. "Then it's a plan."

"Yeah, this city ain't really nothing to look at, but I can show you some stuff that will make you do a double take. Stick with me P," spoke Yang, giving Pyrrha a flirtatious wink. One that actually roused a blush on the champion and a giggle in Nora.

"Get a room you two," joked Nora, whose grin only widened at Pyrrha's embarrassment.

"Technically we are already _in_ a room Nora, so we can skip straight to the fun stuff. Come here Pyrrha!" Yang chased after the blushing girl with hands stretched out, doing a groping hand motion. "Your melons are mine!"

"Yeeep!"

Ren skillfully avoided the antics in favor of actually getting dressed. Now that he thought about it though, today was the first time Pyrrha honestly asked for something personal, like going out into the city. That was something he'd have to keep an eye on as leader... _Sigh, it's going to be-_

His thoughts were interrupted briefly when Yang tripped and barreled into him, throwing the two teenagers to the floor. "Whoopsie, sorry Ren. That Pyrrha is a slippery one."

The thought of Yang and Pyrrha being "slippery" together in any context was quickly deleted for his own sanity. Similar to the feel of the soft orbs pressed into his back. _It's going to be a long four years..._

/-/

"Okay, so we fight until the thirty percent aura mark?" Yang asked, more through confirmation than actual confusion. Ren nodded, walking onto the large round stage with her. The team leader fiddled with his scroll until he was finally able to connect with the large screen, which showed the amount of aura he had. The others followed suit one by one.

They had retrieved their weapons from the lockers earlier and already stretched. Now all there was to do was actually spar. Ren couldn't speak for anyone else, but he was rather nervous, despite the emotional benefits of his semblance. Unlike everyone else on his team, he wasn't picked to fight in Glynda's class all week, thus this would be the first real-time Pyrrha and Yang saw him in action. Maybe that would have been fine any other time, but Ren was a leader. Maybe some expectations for himself came with that.

"Okay, it will be me and Yang against Nora and Pyrrha," spoke Ren, taking in a deep breath. The others took their positions, each with varying levels of confidence. Yang was exuding swagger, engaging and deactivating her gauntlets to the beat of some song only she could hear. Nora was bouncing from toe to toe, looking right at him, a sinister grin on her face. Pyrrha was the only real outlier, appearing confident but a little sheepish.

The boy attempted to come up with a viable strategy to possibly defeat his best friend and champion of Mistral. Of course, he knew Nora's move-set, but Pyrrha would be near impossible to defeat. The boy became so deep in thought, the seconds began to stretch into minutes.

"Yo, Remnant to Ren. We going to do this or what? You've been staring at the floor for like two minutes?" Yang asked, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Yes." He said upon looking up, putting his scroll away and taking on a fighting stance. "I guess I was just still a little sleepy. Let's begin."

Ren didn't have a single moment to converse with Yang about staying close, as Nora blitzed from the other side of the arena towards him. Meanwhile, Pyrrha fired upon Yang with her weapon in rifle mode, goading the girl to dodge and take cover.

The leader of team Raven lost sight of his partner as Nora filled his vision, forcing him to retreat and avoid the full might of her hammer. Their eyes met briefly before her weapon once again filled his vision. She wasn't holding back. Though she never did.

 _A swing to the right, an overextension next, now a downward smash into grenade spike…_

Ren had an advantage in this fight, that being he knew Nora's moves better than he did his own. Moves that seemed erratic were telegraphed and exploited for negligible amounts of damage. It was like trying to kill an Ursa with a butter knife. Was it possible? In theory, but certainly not probable. However, Ren was one hell of a butter knife.

Nora, unlike most humans or just living things in general, seemed to only get stronger and quicker as she kept on. Every move might as well have been sudden death. Seeing that her best friend had thus far managed to evade any melee attack, she quickly switched to mid-range and fired off a hot pink grenade. Ren pretended to back step away from the attack, prompting Nora to move in closer. _Predictable._ Ren coated the same leg that fell back and brought it around in a powerful crescent kick, which connected with the grenade and sent it directly into Nora's face.

The resulting explosion served to throw Nora backward out of surprise more than anything else. Seeing that the move also took a rather impressive chunk of aura out compared to his other attacks only gave the teen further vigor. Ren could barely keep up with his own body movements, capitalizing on the opening and hitting Nora with his strongest aura palm strike to the face, which actually did throw the girl off her feet and to the floor in a daze.

 _Disarming her, or trying might be too risky. One grapple and it's probably over._ Ren instead withdrew Stormflower and in a split second decision, aimed his weapons at Pyrrha, whose back was turned at the moment. He rained fire at her and with her distracted with a more than competent Yang, managed to chip away at some of her aura. Once again, the damage was negligible, but it had the side effect of the Champion thinking her partner had been defeated and caused her to pivot believing Ren would now be on the attack. Though she realized too late that this wasn't the case, shifting her shield back to block a crushing strike from Yang. However, the hasty block was no match for the attack and left Pyrrha with another loss in aura and on the back foot.

 _That's all I can do to help my partner now I guess._ Ren didn't need to look in Nora's direction to know she'd already gotten up from his string of damage earlier. Without looking, he pre-emptively jumped back, which saved him from the broad side of Nora's hammer.

"Ooh, you've been holding out on me Ren. I've never seen you act like this when we spar," spoke Nora, grinning dangerous and swinging her oversized weapon casually. "What's changed?"

Ren felt a small smile coming over himself as well. "Maybe I felt like winning for once."

No more words were exchanged as the two went at it again. Ren maneuvering out of Nora's reach, deflecting any grenades fired, and even managing to deflect a grenade near Pyrrha, giving Yang an opening again. However, as the fight dragged on, the teen felt his limit being reached. His stamina was by far the most glaring weakness in his battle power. The fight felt like it had been going on for hours, when in reality... well, Ren didn't know exactly. All his focus was concentrated on seeing through the sweat dripping down each pore of his face and breathing evenly. In contrast, Nora looked as fresh as she'd been at the beginning.

Though, that wasn't particularly true. Flicking his eyes to the scoreboard, he saw that it was currently ninety-five to fifty-eight percent. The five percent loss was actually because of the muscles he'd overworked healing through aura, so he'd taken no direct damage thus far.

Nora actually seemed to be analyzing him, eyes squinted in slight frustration. During their time together and the fights they'd had to win together, Ren had to use his semblance on Nora on countless occasions to calm her down during a battle so they could strategize. Without his semblance, she seemed to be having a tough time keeping frustration at bay. If he could hold out just a little more, he'd possibly pull this off.

"Dang P, you're one tough customer," spoke Yang from across the ring. Ren looked to see Pyrrha helping the blond girl up, both of them chuckling. It seemed Yang had been knocked out, her aura was at twenty-six percent. "You gotta teach me how to pull off that last move."

"No, no, you did excellently. To fake an overextension into a leg sweep was quite brilliant," praised the red-head. Yang let out a well-meaning snort and walked off the stage, leaving Ren alone. Though she did shout words of encouragement.

"You got this Ren!"

A butter knife cannot cut a mountain and the leader of team Raven surely could not defeat two tanks by himself _._ Ren, knowing it was futile to continue the fight, nevertheless fell into a ready stance again, his aura crackling to life. Pyrrha rushed forward, her spear mode engaged. Nora trailed behind her, ready to capitalize. Unlike his best friend, Ren was _not_ aware of how Pyrrha fought, thus could not telegram what she'd do as easily or at all.

The emerald-eyed warrior came down with the spear, leading Ren to jump backward, however, this was a mistake. She switched to the sword form at the last second and slashed instead of jabbing, managing to strike him in the abdomen. An attack he could do nothing about, taking the damage in favor of taking a hit from Nora. Certainly not after he'd essentially teased her this entire time by not being hit once.

In an act of acrobatics, Ren managed to back-flip over a swing from Nora, only to be backhanded out the air by Pyrrha's shield and thrown to the ground in a heap. Though he had sixty percent left, it was clear there was little point in continuing.

"I... give."

The two girls immediately stopped their advanced, disengaging their weapons. Nora walked forward and helped up Ren to his feet, even going so far as to mock dust him off. "That was amazing Ren, you've never fought like that before. If Yang hadn't gotten out you might have even beaten me!"

"Unlikely... I was already quite low on energy. I doubt I could have lasted much longer."

"Though you had some mad assist though," commented Yang, who had walked up. "I probably couldn't have landed a single hit on old P here without it. Nice going."

Ren nodded in thanks but otherwise stayed silent. Soon the girls struck up a conversation on each other's techniques, even talking about how they could possibly work together. The sight brought a wave of comfort over Ren. Maybe this whole leader job wouldn't be as complicated as he'd thought. For now anyway. _Only time can tell I guess._

"Reeeeeeeen!"

The boy looked up to see the girls were at the door to the sparring room. _Wait, when did-_

"We're leaving to get a late breakfast. Jaune just messaged me and said we can meet up with team Robbie. Let's gooooo," shouted Yang. "You were staring at nothing again by the way."

Ren nodded with a sigh and picked up the pace to catch up.

/-/

Winter rubbed her eyes, the strain of staring at footage for three hours already taking its toll. Using the power of news reports, she'd managed to get a hold of which shops had been robbed last night, so now all there was to be done was to look through all the security footage of those stores that captured the criminal activities. The modified scroll Ozpin had given her was connected to the database of all the cameras in Vale, and she was given unrestrained backdoor access to it all. All of which was behind the councils back. Ozpin was putting a lot on the line with this. Even someone like him could possibly be jailed for something like this.

Despite the vast liberties which had been taken, she'd yet to find anything vital to the mission. The film of the robberies were somewhat grainy, so it wasn't like any details would be sticking out. Nothing specific anyway. But, there had to be something. Or maybe she could just will evidence into existence if she hoped hard enough.

"This is asinine," she muttered, running a hand through her, sweaty, messy locks of foreign feeling hair. It was possibly time for a break. She looked over at the press pass on the table next to the couch she'd been perched on. Another generous gift she'd been handed by Ozpin to help with the investigation. One that she'd neglected to use thus far.

That was the one part of this investigation that worried her a bit. Absolutely everything she did had to be kept secret to the VCP because there was no telling who was being paid off. The fiasco with her sister had taught that to Ozpin, who simply wouldn't take any risk. Neither would Ironwood.

' _Bzzzzzzzzzt'_

Winter looked at her personal scroll where it lay beside her press pass. It couldn't be anything related to the mission, or the call would have come through the dark black one in her hand. She idly reached over and grabbed the device, seeing the caller ID was from Jacques personal number.

 _Well, that's unexpected._

She didn't feel like talking to her father, though for him to not call through his secretary, it might mean there was something important that happened. Or was going to happen. Plus, she was an adult now and there was no reason for her to cower like a nervous puppy from him. She answered, but with audio only, lest he see an unfamiliar setting behind her and deduce she wasn't in Atlas. Something no-one was supposed to know except Ironwood.

"Hello father, may I ask why you are calling? I'm quite busy at the moment." She spoke curtly, using a voice she might muster to speak with a dignitary. He answered in kind.

"To be sure. I'm calling to inform you I will be punishing Weiss for her lack of communication effective immediately after the next allowance transfer."

Winter's eyes widened for a moment before returning to normal. She expected this of course. How could she not when it was the exact same method he had been tried on her. However, not this soon. "Do you not believe this is a little hasty on your part?"

The snark in his voice was near pallettable. "Not in the slightest. If she refuses to return my calls after being nearly killed, then I suppose Weiss wants nothing to do with me. Including my generous funds."

Winter swallowed. _Of course she wouldn't contact you. Your intention was to bring her back after the incident._

"And why are you telling this to me, Father?"

"It's the only way I can be sure she got it. Though whether you decide to warn your sister or not, the results will be the same," spoke Jacques, holding in a chuckle as if everything would go according to his design. Winter hated it. She despised it. Weiss was a strong girl, but right now she was still fragile despite the act she'd put on. Jacques could possibly succeed this time around.

"I'll be sure to inform her," spoke the elder daughter finally, feeling a crease forming on her brow.

"Excellent. I knew I could trust in your reasoning, Winter." The line went dead afterward. Winter sighed and placed the device down gently, thinking the matter over. Ultimately, warning Weiss would give her at least enough time to conserve funds before complete sequestering of future funds. Winter even mulled over the idea of sending the girl funds from her own personal account, but she exterminated the idea. If Weiss wasn't strong enough to get by alone, then the path she chose wasn't for her. Not to mention she was forbidden to use her personal account at the moment so as to stay hidden.

 _I'll have to call later today. It's the best I can do for now._

Having decided on that course of action, she went back to filing through the security feed, looking for literally anything tangible. Though instead, it was still only phantom touches of hints she couldn't quite connect. The video that displayed Torchwick was the one she pondered over for the greatest amount of time, though maybe that was folly on her part. Torchwick was the one _least_ likely to give anything away.

"Mhmm." She ran a hand through her hair again, the action becoming something of a habit lately. What would the General say if he could see her. There was probably evidence staring her right in the face and she couldn't see it. Winter stood from the couch and walked to the large wooden desk she'd laid out physical evidence on. Papers, wood chips, pieces of clothing, and anything else she'd found at the crime scenes before VPD got to the scene. Her eyes naturally gravitated to the glass vial of pink fluff she'd found today.

Upon picking it up and opening the small container, she was hit with a sweet fragrance, one she hadn't smelled before at the crime scene. She took a larger wharf of the scent, enjoying its soft floral nature before closing the cap again. _What is that? A perfume? If I figure out where it's from, maybe…_

' _Bzzzzzzt'_

 _Of course._ She walked back over to the couch and saw the scroll ringing, this time it was the black one Ozpin had gifted her. Winter quickly picked up, this time with both audio and video enabled. On the screen appeared the expressionless face of Glynda Goodwitch. Well, expressionless except for a single raised eyebrow.

"Going casual I see."

It took Winter a second to realize what the older Huntress was talking about. In her haste to answer, she'd forgotten she was wearing a tank-top with no bra on. Contrary to the belief around the army barracks, she didn't live in a uniform. "Excuse my appearance, I wasn't expecting your call."

"I assure you it's fine. This call was made simply to ask if you required anything. We've asked you to not use your personal bank account while on this mission and instead provided you with one. Ozpin was simply wondering if you needed any more funds."

"No, Ms. Goodwitch, you've been more than generous with the current amount."

"Excellent. That will be all-"

"Actually," interrupted Winter. "It was my intention to call later today. I have a question." Glynda stayed silent, waiting for the women to continue. Winter walked over to the research desk and picked up the mystery item she'd been investigating.

"Could you possibly identify this for me?" She asked, holding it to the camera. "I found it at a crime scene and thought it logical to trace its origins. The material appears soft in texture and gives off a faint but very sweet aroma. It also seems bio-"

"It's a leaf," deadpanned Glynda. "It's a leaf from Forever Fall, a large forest that borders the northern edge of the city. It's very likely it blew in from there."

"I see," spoke Winter, feeling a bit disheartened by Glynda's dismissal but nonetheless ready to follow this lead."Thank you, Ms. Goodwitch. I'll continue my investigation."

The blonde haired women nodded and the line went dead. Winter sighed, looking at the pink piece of organic matter. Maybe it really was nothing… but it couldn't hurt to look. Forever Fall would be her next location to visit.

/-/

"I'm attempting to perceive the situation from your perspective, I truly am, Ozpin, but look at our current predicament from my angle in turn," spoke a silvered haired man from behind a large oak desk. Ozpin, not nearly as used to being the one being spoken to as opposed to being behind the desk could only sit in discontentedness. Councilman Sterling was a man who greatly enjoyed being in charge. So much so he often refused to speak via hologram meetings, believing that face to face meetings left him with the upper hand.

"The police force is currently more attenuated trying attempting to quell every single robbery report within the city. Saul's already informed me his officers have been working graveyard shifts since the incident with the little Atlas princess. Do tell, then, why haven't I glimpsed even a singular Huntsmen, Ozpin? Is the purging of a vital commodity a low-level complication in their eyes?"

The Headmaster rubbed his eyes beneath his glasses, contemplating the discussions that allowed this conversation to even occur. "Jason, I'm positive you're cognizant of the reality that Huntsmen do not receive overtime, nor are the streets of Vale their jurisdiction. I'm positive you realize a Huntsman's job first and foremost is to control the population of Grimm. Not act as a defacto backup police force. I can assure you, however, my compatriots and I are aware of the problem and are working diligently behind the scenes where needed."

Sterling ran a comb through his thick, gelled hair, muttering obscenities under his breath. The man hated to be referred to by his first name and Ozpin knew it. Whether undercutting the Council member's power trip was the smart move to make or not, it damn sure felt good. Sterling stood from his leather seat and looked out the large bay windows behind him, reminiscent of a Machiavellian schemer. "Oh Ozpin, how I truly wish your promises held any semblance of credence with me."

"I can as-"

"The citizens are cattle, Ozpin." Sterling nearly spat. "Skittish while also being biddable. Witless and nebbish though having the audacity to carp at every miniscule disturbance. The most detestable type of cattle imaginable."

The pure malice in Sterling's voice left Ozpin silent. The Councilman took it as an indicator to continue.

"Look at them all," spoke Sterling, still staring out the window, a busy storefront just across the street. Despite Sterling being the youngest of the Council at thirty-two, he already held an extreme distaste for existence. A dislike that had at least taken Ozpin a few hundred years to bloom with such intensity. "Their dullness will see us exterminated one day. Trust in that, Headmaster. I can already see it."

"I find your lack of faith unnerving, Jason."

That got a chuckle out of the younger man. He turned around to face Ozpin once more, though didn't sit down. "Tell me Ozpin, how far can you see?"

It wasn't a question of whether the Headmaster had 20/20 vision or not. _Always the interesting one aren't we? You would have made a fine Hunter, Jason._ "As far as needed."

Sterling nodded his head, finally sitting back down. "Then surely you've foreseen the future role of a scapegoat you'll play. When Faunus fecal matter hits the proverbial fan, and I guarantee it _will,_ you can bet your maximus all the fallout will be heaped upon the head of a particular gray-haired gentleman. It's quite the simple matter to pin the badge of villainy on someone never seen."

Ozpin remained calm, an expression which could make a blank piece of stationary sweat. "Then I suppose this is my official admonition then? Why say anything, especially when the clues were anything but nebulous?"

"Because the time for action is nigh upon us. Contrary to how you fancy I feel for you, it's everyone's benefit that we work as a pair of associates. For my personal betterment of course and for Beacon."

"I'm listening."

Sterling took a breath before looking down at the sticky notes that lined his desk space. "Huntsmen are traditionally beacons of hope, cherry blossoms, and all such bilge. I believed so as a child and many feel similar. All I require from you is your word that when the situation plummets, you'll be there to deliver aid the way only Hunters can."

Sterling looked at Ozpin and the Headmaster gave a nod for him to continue. "Well, I propose the Beacon staff encourage the student population to go into the city more often, flaunt their weapons, and otherwise have a presence. Something everyone can look to as a physical example that things will continue to be copacetic. Meanwhile, I'll ensure any progress produced by VPD will be transferred to a Hunter or Hunters. Hell, your students are probably more equipped to combat the White Fang than the police force, so allow the kiddies to go mental if they'd like. I'll clean up any PR along the way. By the conclusion, the citizens will have something to look up to and trust in, something that is sorely lacking presently."

"Very… interesting, Mr. Sterling. And I suppose this scheme is to instill confidence in the otherwise spasmodic plebeians? Possibly even diminish a portion of Grimm spawned daily." Ozpin asked, warming to the idea. Sterling shrugged.

"You could say that. The ancient sets of skin and bones that is the Council of Vale are quite special in the fact that they are spavined enough to feel omniscient, while sheltered enough so that they know nothing at all. Particularly about Grimm. Unlike them, however, I've felt the blazing hot breath of a Beowolf on my neck."

"Quite. And here I assumed you'd all but forgotten your days as a Huntsman in training."

"Can it, Ozpin. Don't think I called you in here to save your ass just because you used to be my Headmaster. I simply have a lot to protect is all and I believe this is the best option. Not to mention this idea goes far beyond just Grimm. Though we can talk about that later. Do we have a deal?"

 _This is…_

Ozpin stood up from his chair and stretched out his hand to the Council member, choosing to be more proactive about this currently unknown threat. "It's a deal."

Then the two shook on it.

/-/

Team Robbie had decided to kill two birds with one stone and get lunch near the pier, which consisted of the many maritime style food sold at the stalls that lined the boardwalk. All four of the teammates were sitting with their legs hanging over the side, eating, laughing, and pointing at the different types of aquatic life they could spot in the water below. Blake was actually in awe of the fact she was genuinely having a good time, considering she'd be completely prepared to fake everything.

"...all I'm saying is, I don't feel a seller of Dust should act that way with a customer," spoke the heiress to the blonde swordsman of the team. Weiss was referring to the female store owner who had "flirted" with Jaune, something that had been a bit surprising to everyone.

"Eh, I already told you why she gave me a discount, Weiss. I helped stop a robbery at her store. Plus, she was just being friendly."

"I'm sure…" spoke Weiss sardonically, looking back to the greasy fish sandwich in her hand she'd been nibbling on. Blake personally hadn't believed her eyes, or any of her senses when the pristine girl had ordered the hearty lunch along with her teammates with little more than an off-handed comment on the lack of presentation. The disbelief had only increased when Ruby suggested they sit on the pier and Weiss smoothed out her skirt and sat down on the wooden planks with little fanfare or complaint.

This day had been particularly tough on Blake's usual eyes wide shut routine. It had only been a week and well... it was starting to look like Schnee's might be regular humans after all. Such a revelation had left the feline Faunus stunned. Maybe a bit too stunned.

"Blake, you've been staring at me for three minutes, do you have anything to say?" Weiss asked, with a raised eyebrow.

"Hm? Oh, uh... how's the sandwich?"

"I see... well it's quite good, if not a little greasy. I can see why you recommended it. Is it the only reason you wanted to visit the docks?"

"Not entirely. I just enjoy the atmosphere." _And the smell._

Ruby grinned, sticking her fork into the fish and chip bowl she'd gotten. "Well, I think it was a good choice. There's something about being near water-"

A burst of feathers and down interrupted the leader, who squawked in terror as her food was ripped right out of her hands. Squawking which was matched by the seagull that had taken off on the next breeze. Blake nearly fell over as Weiss slammed into her, attempting to put distance in between herself and the animal. Jaune fell backward, reaching nervously for his sword's hilt and letting out a shout of surprise. Though it would seem as if Ruby wasn't afraid to match the animal on its own turf.

"Give me back my food you birdie!" Ruby leaped into the air, hand outstretched, missing the hind tail feathers by an inch. Or rather she would have missed by an inch if she didn't burst into roses and bum rush the poor avian out the air. "HA! Got you!"

The moment of victory was quite hollow, however, as Ruby realized she was twenty feet above what would be a very cold, and very wet experience. She plummeted with the seagull still in hand, almost as if this was payback for the attempted thievery. However, not a second too late, a glowing platform appeared beneath the girl, which she hit with a smack just inches above the water.

"YOU DOLT!"

Blake turned to Weiss, noticing the girl had a glowing hand stretched out in Ruby direction. The brilliant white platform slowly moved towards the pier before disappearing and dropping the leader onto the wooden planks. "Honestly, I should have just let you fall, what were you thinking?!"

"Uh…" The girl didn't seem to have an answer, still clutching onto the bird like it was stuff animal. This seemed to only irritate the heiress more.

"And for goodness sake, put that bird down, they're infested with disease!" She then turned her head and noticed Jaune was down to only his boxers. A fact that sent Blake's mind to places it shouldn't and caused Weiss' skin color to imitate the color of a tomato. "And what the hell do you think you're doing?!"

The volume of her shout was probably enough to throw Jaune backwards, deaf or not. He seemed to catch on to the question in any case. "Oh, well I thought Ruby was going to fall into the water... so I pre-emptively stripped down in preparation to go in after her."

"Put your damn clothes on! And you!" Weiss turned to the crowd of people that had milled about the area to see the commotion. They all jumped back at her ire being turned on them. Particularly the Faunus fishermen who had recognized the girl. "Mind your own business!"

Weiss stood up in a huff, dusted off her skirt, and then proceeded to walk down the wooden planks. Blake watched her leave, not sure what to do. Everything had happened in about a minute, and that left little room to gather her bearings. It seemed her leader wasn't sure what to do either, still holding on to the now docile bird in stunned silence. The mini tantrum had been more like how Blake imagined being with a Schnee would be like. Although in this case, she couldn't exactly judge the girl.

"I should probably go after her," spoke Jaune finally, struggling to put his pants back on. How he got them off so quickly in the first place was beyond all reason. His voice also called attention to the fact he was still underdressed. _Goodness, you could grate cheese on his-_

"Actually!" Interjected Blake, interrupting her own thoughts. "I should go get her. You know, being partners and all." To make the point clearer, she kept pointing to herself and pointing in the direction Weiss went. Jaune looked at her, looked back at Ruby, then nodded for her to go.

Blake ripped her eyes off Jaune's body and walked after Weiss, glad to get away. However, it would seem she wouldn't have to go far, as Weiss came into view sitting on a bench farther down the docks, looking through her scroll. The scowl deep on her face probably wasn't a good sign. _Maybe I should go back and say I couldn't find her. She still seems quite perturbed._

Yet Blake's feet carried her in Weiss' direction just like during Initiation. Hopefully, this wouldn't become a habit. Before Blake could even process what to say, she was hovering over her partner for the second time today. Weiss looked up at her and huffed a little, putting the scroll away. "In my defense, they were being idiots."

Blake quirked a smile. "Granted I suppose. Still upset?"

Weiss stood up from the bench and straightened out her skirt. "Not particularly… plus my wrath is more focused on someone else at the moment. It was not befitting to raise my voice in such a matter to my leader and teammate regardless."

"I'm impressed you accept Ruby as your leader so easily." Blake voiced her thoughts. It was a fact that had puzzled Blake to no end. She herself held no ambition about being a leader and Jaune was clearly friends with the girl and her sister, but Weiss…

The heiress sighed. "It's because I'm a Schnee isn't?"

Despite it being exactly the reason, Blake attempted to deny the accusation, though one look at the girl's expression killed the denials dead in her throat. "Sort... of."

"Well, I guess you usually wouldn't be wrong in your assumption."

Weiss didn't say any more, and Blake felt it too forward to ask. The two stood in a awkward silence until Jaune and Ruby appeared, walking up to them with sheepish expressions. They looked like children coming to apologize for hitting their sibling or breaking an expensive vase.

Ruby broke the silence, coming up to Weiss with pure earnest. "I... I'm sorry Weiss! I shouldn't have flown after the bird and it wasn't mature and well... I'm sorry I upset you. Also, Jaune is really sorry about taking off his clothes too." Jaune nodded behind the girl rapidly.

Weiss looked at the two clearly well-meaning teammates and sighed for maybe the 5th time in an hour. "It's fine. I'm sorry for yelling. Though do try to avoid any such behavior in the future."

Ruby nodded. Jaune nodded a couple seconds later, having apparently taken a while to figure out the words. _Geez, sometimes it's too easy to forget about his disability._ The four stood in semi-awkward silence for a few seconds before Ruby's eyes lit up, apparently remembering something. "Oh, I forgot to say, Jaune was texting team Raven and they agreed to meet up with us!"

"Then let's not keep them waiting," spoke Weiss with a casual smile, reviving the mood again. As they headed away from the docks, Blake couldn't get the girl walking in front of her out of her head.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, hoped you liked it. It felt odd writing a chapter without visiting Jaune's perspective but I feel it was the right choice. Weiss and Blake's relationship will come into play a lot later down the line so I wanted to dedicate more screen time to that this time around. Worry not, as Jaune will take precedence in Part 2. A lot of stuff was set up for later arcs in this chapter as well, as seen in the Winter and Ozpin scenes. Finally, Ren is slowly trying to figure out how to be a leader. I actually always thought that Ren would be a rather good leader if given the right motivation. Guess only time will tell.**

 **Anyway, that's it for now.**


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